The Big Quarrel
by Malte279
Summary: Cera has never actually taken back the offence of Littlefoot’s mother she has uttered in the original land before time movie. Now when Littlefoot asks her to do so Cera is too proud to act reasonable and the result is one of the hardest tests the friend
1. Default Chapter

Prologue  
  
A long, long time ago, when the earth was still young, millions of years before the first human set his foot on it, it looked very differently from today. Everywhere grew giant woods that would never be seen by a human eye. The continental plates were in permanent motion, pushing Mountain and Mountains to the sky nearly overnight and could vanished them till the next day. And in the midst of this strange constant changing world lived the great lizards, the dinosaurs in the not always friendly environment. Most of them nourished themselves of leaf, while the others, the sharpteeth nourished themselves of these leafeaters and hunted them wherever they were, except on one place, the Great Valley. Many different races of leafeaters could live there peaceful together. And sometimes dinosaurs of different races became really inseparable friends, like Littlefoot the longneck, Cera the threehorn, Ducky the swimmer, Petrie the flyer and Spike the spikedtail. Also contacts between different races were more frequently in the Great Valley then anywhere else their friendship was something special. Nobody could remember such a mixed group that hold together so strong before. Nothing seems to be able to spoil their friendship till the events of this story. 


	2. Distant memories

Chapter I  
Distant Memories  
  
The day started like every other in the Great Valley. Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Spike and Petrie had met on a play-meadow near a tunnel leading through the Great Wall to the mysterious beyond, as they had appointed to on the eve. They had passed their time with different games for a long while, when Littlefoot suddenly halted in the sharptooth and leafeater game and set his look up at the tunnel. Spike who played the sharptooth at that moment (he often had to play the sharptooth, because he was the slowest of them, so he was easy to catch) saw his chance. Full of enthusiasm and with full force he plunged on Littlefoot tearing him from his feet. Littlefoot seemed to be pulled out of deep thoughts, he gave a surprised cry. "You are the Sharptooth now, Littlefoot!" Ducky shouted, starting to flee, while she chattered her "Yep, yep, yep!" Spike, who didn't want to be the sharptooth again immediately jumped to safety with some great leaps. Littlefoot, who hadn't recovered from his surprise until now screamed after them: "Stop! Wait friends!"  
  
Cera, Spike and Ducky turned and came back comfortably accompanied by Petrie, who had just flown to safety in the top of a low tree standing nearby. There had always been the strong rule that every game had to interrupt if anyone shouted to the others. Usually the shouter had a suggestion for a new game. When everybody had gathered around him Littlefoot pointed up at the tunnel with his head and asked pensively: "Do you still remember?" The others exchanged blank looks and Petrie asked: "What shall we remember?" and Cera added: "Yes, what do you mean Littlefoot?" He answered a bit impatiently: "Well this tunnel. Here we then have entered the Great Valley for the first time." "Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky chattered eagerly afterwards. Spike nodded and hummed some agreeing sounds. "That's true", said Cera. "You are right", croaked Petrie.  
  
"Remember how we came to know each then?" Littlefoot asked. "Oh yes!" Petrie croaked, "I can remember very well!" While speaking these words Petrie hung on a branch of a palm standing nearby. At first the branch bend down under Petrie's weight, but then it sprung back to its previous position, flinging Petrie high up into the air.  
  
He flew in a high arc toward Littlefoot and Ducky and spread out his wings first in the very last moment before hitting the ground.  
  
Petrie landed softly just before Littlefoot and Ducky. He had given a very accurate play of his first meeting with Littlefoot and Ducky and he earned the approval of his friends before climbing on Littlefoot's head, where he had sat for most of the time during their journey to the Great Valley long ago. "And remember how we have found Spiky",  
  
Ducky said absorbed in her thoughts. "And the long journey to the Great Valley",  
  
Cera mumbled. "Do you remember our fight with the sharptooth?"  
  
"How should we ever forget that?" Ducky asked, "You have returned just in the right moment then, oh yes you have." "We would have never managed to throw the sharptooth down in the pond with the shaky rock without you Cera", Littlefoot said.  
  
Cera enjoyed the attention of her friends. "Petrie has flied first time there",  
  
Petrie croaked swinging himself in the air with a few strong flaps. He flew a wide loop and landed in front of Littlefoot and Cera on a small boulder. "You have quarreled very fierce before that", he said turning to them. Cera's face changed to a mixture of defiance and embarrassment. She didn't liked to remember this quarrel, because she knew that it has been mainly her fault. And if there was anything Cera couldn't endure, then it was to admit her own mistakes. Then, on the journey to the Great Valley Cera had called Littlefoot's dead mother in a fit of fury and disappointment a stupid longneck.  
  
Littlefoot's mother had rescued not only Littlefoot's, but also Cera's own life. Cera didn't like to admit that too. Littlefoot's mother had rescued them from the same sharptooth that they had later tumbled in a pond with a shaky rock. She later died of the wounds the sharptooth had inflict on her during the fight. When Cera later had pronounced the insult on Littlefoot's mother and refused to retract it, it has come to a fierce fight between Littlefoot and Cera and after that they continued their way separately for a while. When Cera had then returned just in time to help their friends against the sharptooth, and so rescued all their lives, the quarrel dad been forgotten. Cera had always been very lucky and relieved about this. But now everything seemed to begin anew, because Littlefoot said in this instant: "Cera.", he hesitated a moment before he continued his sentence, "...you have never taken back, what you have said about my mother." He hesitated again before continuing: "Please take it back." Littlefoot had said the last words as friendly as he could, but Cera's pride was hurt nevertheless. She didn't want to confess her fault and she didn't want to take the sole responsibly for belonging to the past quarrel. After all it has been Littlefoot who had turned violent first. If Cera had known what she would have spared herself, her response would have been another. 


	3. Friends become foes

Chapter II  
Friends become foes  
  
Cera wordlessly shook her head. Littlefoot's face became simultaneously very earnest and sad. He tried his best to still look friendly but everybody could see his fury. Ducky, Spike and Petrie changed took on a frightened look. "Cera please", said Littlefoot as friendly as he could, but this time his voice had more emphasis and a nearly menacing undertone. "Nope!" Cera answered very determinedly. Littlefoot's face changed to a countenance of torment. He couldn't suppress his fury anymore. He hoped to make Cera becoming more reasonable when he unconcealed his threat and shouted: "Retract it!" This was naturally the wrong way to speak to Cera. Threats or insults could just raise her rage and quarrelsome disposition. "No!" she shouted back as loud as Littlefoot. She turned to go, when Littlefoot rammed his head with full power in Cera's flank, so she descended with a surprised cry. Like out of one mouth Ducky, Petrie and (as good as he could) Spike cried aghast too. Cera had scarcely erected and panted for breath when she saw herself faced with a new fierce attack of Littlefoot. For a moment they rolled solidly crashed into each other in direction of a boulder. When they hit it they went asunder. But Littlefoot rushed again impetuous against Cera who still hadn't really recovered from her surprise. Littlefoot's fierce attacks forced Cera to fall back step-by-step to the way leading up to the tunnel. Spike, Petrie and Ducky, who had placed herself in safety on Spike's back, stared thunderstruck after them. Sure, now and then Littlefoot and Cera had squabbles, but this squabbles usually lasted not more then a few hours. A fight like this hadn't been since then on their journey to the Great Valley. Meanwhile Littlefoot's attacks had forced Cera to fall back on a wide part of the rocky path that led up to the high placed tunnel. They were already some meters above the meadow on witch they had played a short time ago and on witch Ducky, Spike and Petrie stood and stared after them. "We must stop them, before one of them might be hurt!" Ducky shouted anxiously. Ducky hadn't finished her sentence completely when Spike rushed forth so abruptly, that she slid from his back and remained on the ground a bit confused. Petrie swung himself into the air and flit toward the fighting friends while Ducky jumped to her feed and followed Spike as quick as she could. "Take it back!" growled Littlefoot while he got ready for his next attack. "Never!" screamed Cera defiantly. Littlefoot charged with bowed head toward Cera. But she stepped out of way, pressing herself close to the wall of rock. In the moment in which Littlefoot whizzed past her, Cera rammed her head at his flank. Littlefoot screamed, lost his balance and hurled beyond the brink of the path and down the rocky slope. In this moment Cera and Petrie (who had just reached the scene) screamed too. Spike, who appeared nearly simultaneously behind Cera on the path howled shocked. Littlefoot tumbled down the slope and remained lying on the ground motionless. Petrie exchanged a shocked look with Cera, put his wings close to his body and dived nearly vertical toward the ground close to Littlefoot. Cera and Spike loped back down the path so fast, that stones and fine gravel rose up around their feet. They met Ducky, who still ran up the path with her tongue hanging out, halfway down. She hadn't realized what had happened yet, and had to jump out of way not to be run over by Spike and Cera. When Cera and Spike arrived by Littlefoot, Petrie was already there looking very concerned. Cera guided her look first on Littlefoot, then on Petrie and Spike. She felt dreadful and the looks of Petrie and Spike strengthened this feeling. In this moment Ducky pressed between Spike and Cera and went to the still unconscious Littlefoot. "Littlefoot, stand up!" she said while climbing on his head to force open one of his shut eyelids with both of her arms. And really Littlefoot opened his other eye too and smiled at Ducky. He raised his had, so it was difficult for Ducky not to loose her balance and fall down, and smiled at Spike and Petrie too. Littlefoot still seemed to be a bit numbed. Then his eyes went to Cera and became promptly very earnest and hostile. It was as if Littlefoot could just remember everything that had happened during the last minutes. Also Ducky's, Spike's and Petrie's eyes went to Cera now, but theirs looked very different from Littlefoot's. They looked earnest too, but more concerned than angry. For some seconds Cera could stand their looks, but sudden she couldn't endure it anymore. With a cry she turned round and ran away. Littlefoot still stared after her, so he hadn't realized the very grieved look Ducky, Petrie and Spike exchanged. 


	4. A nightly colloquy

Chapter III  
A nightly colloquy  
  
Cera lay by her secret place in the sedge. Not even to Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike or Petrie she had ever talked about this place, far from having ever showed it anyone. She was really the only who know of this hiding place and she was very glad about this in the moment, because here she could be lonely and absorbed in her thoughts. Since she had run away from him she hadn't been able to forget Littlefoot's look. First here when she had thought about it she had realized that she had hit Littlefoot's sore spot; his mother. She acknowledged how she had hurt his innermost feelings, and she thought that Littlefoot's mother had rescued her live back then. This was a pretty bad way to thank her. Fortunately Littlefoot hadn't seemed to be severely hurt by his fall down the slope, but after all he had been unconscious for some minutes. Cera had not at all meant to butt him down there. It had been an accident, but Littlefoot probably wouldn't believe that. And Ducky, Petrie and Spike? They would try not to intervene in the quarrel; they hadn't wanted it. But they seemed to comply with Littlefoot, especially after his fall. And the thought that were the hardest to accept for Cera: They were right! She had provoked Littlefoot and she had brought on the quarrel without a reason. Cera only hoped, that Ducky, Spike and Petrie would believe that she hadn't meant to throw Littlefoot down the slope. She wanted to be forgiven by Littlefoot, but she didn't know how displeased Littlefoot and the others were with her. She had no other choice than to ask one of them, but who? After short consideration Cera decided to wait for the night and then speak with Spike. Spike was good-natured and he wouldn't be able to tell the others anything, because he couldn't really speak. In this Moment Cera heard her father call for her. She realized that it had become evening and she hurried up home. On her way she considered if she should tell her father everything, but then she decided against that. This was a concern between Littlefoot and her. Her father would probably say that it was Littlefoot's whole fault and he would conjure a big quarrel between him and Littlefoot's grandparents. He would make everything worse. He and the other grownups had no business in this quarrel.  
  
At the same time Littlefoot lay in his nest. He thought about the events of the last hours too. Why hadn't Cera been able to take back the offence of his mother simply? Littlefoot couldn't find an answer on this question. He thought of his mother and became furious again. He would never forgive Cera for that! His mother... tears started to glisten in the angles of his eyes. He really couldn't understand Cera, after all his mother had rescued her life too. His head was still hurting, and it had been difficult to hide this from his grandparents. Finally he turned round and shut his eyes, but it needed a long time till he really slept.  
  
Cera had kept awake till now. Now, when she was sure that her father and also every other saurian in the Valley slept, she stood up silently and sneaked over to the small lake, where Ducky's family and Spike (who had been adopted by them) had their nests. Cera reached Spike's sleeping place, but Ducky lay only a few steps away. If Cera would try to wake up Spike (who was, in contrast to Ducky, a very sound sleeper) she would certainly wake up Ducky too. Cera looked helplessly around and then she had an idea. There was something, bigger in Spike than his sleep; and that was his appetite. Nearby was a small tree that bore very sappy treestars. Cera picked one of it and returned silently to Spike. She held the leaf in front of Spike's nose. Spike sniffed and began to snap at the bite without waking up. Cera drew back the leaf slowly and promptly Spike heaved up himself to follow the delicious smell, still snapping at the treestar, so Cera had to take care not to be bitten by him, and still with closed eyes. If the occasion hadn't been so earnest Cera would have burst into laughter, but now she denied herself. She led Spike a considerable distance away from his sleeping place before giving him the treestar. Cera watched how Spike swallowed the leaf enjoying and then she tried to wake him up. But it needed long time, till he was really awake. Spike blinked exhausted at her, but when he recognised Cera he became suddenly wide-awake. He raised his head and gave a surprised noise, which caused Cera to give a frightened twitch. "Hist!" she hissed and Spike nodded to show that he had understood that he should be quiet. Cera looked at him. And he looked at her again with such a look she couldn't stand. Spike didn't need to speak. Everything he thought or felt could read of from his face. After a few seconds had passed Cera began to ask: "How is Littlefoot?" Spike hummed some incomprehensible sounds and distorted his face. Cera understood, that she had to speak differently with Spike. "Is Littlefoot well?" she asked. Spike shook his head. "Has he hurt severely by the fall?" Cera asked horrified. She was very relieved when Spike shook his head again. "Is he very angry?" Cera asked carefully. Spike looked ad Cera as if she had asked something very stupid when he nodded lingering, and with a very sad face. Cera sighed and after some seconds she asked very silent: "Do you believe that Littlefoot would forgive me if I apologise to him?" Spike hesitated; he seemed to be very surprised, and in the same moment Cera realized, that she had admitted her wrong with her last question, and that Spike hadn't expected this admission. Spike made some helpless sounds and Cera understood that he didn't know the answer of her last question. First Cera wanted to ask Spike much more questions, but after the last question, in witch she had made more admissions than she had wanted she didn't want to risk prattling away again. "Thanks Spiky!" she said and had nearly turned round, when she noticed Spike's look again. Cera was sure, if Spike could have spoken, he would have asked her a lot. "I didn't want this!" said Cera sudden with slightly shaking voice. Spike's face changed to a smile. It was like a fantastic present to Cera and so she wasn't angry about the admissions she had made with her last words. But now she hurried up to come home before anybody would notice her missing. 


	5. No reconcilation

Chapter IV  
No reconciliation  
  
When Cera woke up with the sunrise next morning her first thought was to meet Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike and Petrie on the play-meadow. But then she remembered what has happened the day before. She thought of her nightly colloquy with Spike. He hadn't known the answer on her question if Littlefoot would forgive her, if she would excuse by him. Now Cera was very facilitated that she had spoken with Spike, and nobody else, because she had admitted more than she was glad about now. One thing was obvious; if she really wanted to know if Littlefoot would reconcile with her... she hesitated before she finished the thought, ...she would have to ask him. Normally she would have been to proud to let down herself down to do this, but she felt it would be better for everyone when she tried to finish this quarrel as soon as possible. After breakfast she set off to a small grove Littlefoot would have to cross when he went to the play-meadow to meet with the others. It was a favorable place to intercept Littlefoot, because there were some good hiding places. If Littlefoot would see her from a distance he would possibly avoid her, and she had to absolutely speak with him undisturbed for a moment. Cera hid in a bush beside the way Littlefoot would certainly take, and waited. She hadn't to wait for a long time. Littlefoot appeared presently on the groves border. Cera looked at his face and felt frightened. Littlefoot's always- merry face had the same terrible petrified look like yesterday at the tunnel. Had he seen her? But this didn't seem to be case, because Littlefoot went on his way steady. If this was his normal countenance now, Cera thought worried, she must have really hurt him very hard. She hesitated for a moment. Should she really speak with him? But she had no choice; if Littlefoot had passed her it would be to late. So she jumped out of the bush, in Littlefoot's way. Littlefoot jerked as if a sharptooth had jumped out of the bush, and turned himself in a ready for a fight posture. Cera hastened to shout: "Littlefoot. I must speak with you!" Littlefoot relaxed and went on walking, ignoring Cera. "Littlefoot..." Cera halted. Maybe Littlefoot was right in this quarrel, but this didn't give him permission to treat her like this. He hadn't even listened to her. She run to her place in the sedge and reflected again. If Littlefoot was so stubborn he could be indifferent to her. But then she remembered Ducky, Spike and Petrie. They stuck to Littlefoot, and Cera couldn't imagine anything harder then to lose the friendship of them all. Suddenly Cera was startled from her thoughts by voices nearing her. She recognized the voices of Petrie, Ducky and Littlefoot. First she couldn't understand the words, but the voices neared still, so she could understand first single words and then sentences. She noticed soon, that they talked about her. She peered carefully through a crack between the sedges. Littlefoot stood direct in front of her, but with the back turned to the sedge, so he couldn't see Cera. Facing to him stood Spike, with Ducky sitting on his head and Petrie flapped above them. They were all too preoccupied with Littlefoot to notice Cera. It was an amazing chance, and Cera tried to eavesdrop. Just Littlefoot said angrily: "It's all the same to me if she is sorry or not. Even she is sorry I won't forgive her this. Nearly whispering and more to himself than to the others, Littlefoot continued: "And that although my mother had rescued her life too. She.", Littlefoot broke of the unfinished sentence. There was a glitter in the corners of his eyes. "I'm fed up with her arrogance and her brag!" Cera felt that her sight began to blur. Littlefoot's words had hurt her very hard. Nobody said anything for a few seconds, but then Ducky objected carefully:  
  
"But she have rescued your life repeatedly. Oh yes she have!" "Like I've rescued hers too! We are quits", Littlefoot replied defiant. "And that has nothing to do with that, what she had done yesterday!" He passed Spike and Ducky and went away without looking back. Ducky, Petrie and Spike changed a dismayed look. And then Ducky noticed Cera. She didn't say anything, but looked very compassionate. Spike and Petrie had noticed Cera too now. She endeavored to change her deportment to a proud pose. When Ducky recognized this on her face became sadder. She cast a short look back over her shoulder, after Littlefoot, who had already withdrawn a long distance. Ducky looked back to Cera for a moment. Then she sighed sadly, jumped down from Spike's head, turned round and hastened to catch up with Littlefoot. Petrie did the same after short hesitating. Spike turned round likewise and started to trot behind the others. But suddenly he turned his head again. His features were stretched; he tried to say something. But he just brought out his typical sounds. Nevertheless Cera was sure to have heard out a "word" that had sound roughly like "serra". She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what and in the meantime Spike plodded likewise slowly behind Littlefoot. Cera sighed quietly and drew back to her hiding place.  
  
Ducky looked round carefully. She didn't want anybody else to hear their talk. The sun had already set hours ago and the stars sparkled on the dark sky. A short while ago she had woken up Spike and had gone to Petrie's nest. After she had woken him up too she had led them to a big rock nearby, a good place to talk undisturbed. "Why have we gone here?" Petrie asked curious. "Littlefoot and Cera!" Ducky said decided. "We must make them finish this nonsense. Oh yes we must!" Petrie and Spike nodded, but a few seconds later Petrie asked unsteady: "That's right, but how we shall make them finish it?" "Well I've no good idea yet", Ducky admitted sadly. "That's why we have gone here." There was a short pause and then Ducky asked: "Has anybody an idea or an suggestion?" Everybody was quiet. They all knew the problem. Littlefoot would forgive Cera nearly everything, but offending his mother was certainly the most important exception. They had tried to persuade Littlefoot to speak with Cera nearly the whole day, till he had intimidated them unmistakable, that he wouldn't speak with her, and that it would be as if he had never known Cera. "You don't believe Littlefoot means what he said in earnest, don't you?" Petrie asked uncertain. Ducky shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know if I believe it. Oh no. I don't know not at all what I shall believe, and I don't know what to do yet." Nobody said anything for a while. Finally Petrie asked: "How would be Cera in the meantime?" "I don't believe she is well", Ducky said sadly, and Spike, who was near to fell asleep, because he was unable to join the conversation startled and nodded determined. He knew more than Ducky and Petrie, because he had spoken with Cera. But he was unable to tell Ducky and Petrie about that, and moreover he was sure, that Cera wouldn't want anybody else to know from the colloquy they had. Ducky continued slowly and quiet: "This quarrel is doubtless Cera's fault." "You mean it serves her right?" Petrie asked indignant. "Certainly not!" Ducky said hasty, "But put yourself in Littlefoot's place." "You would act like he?" "For some days... yes!" "Also Cera would excuse, like she have done today?" "Maybe. It is hard for us to understand Littlefoot. Oh yes it is! We haven't lost our parents. It is probably simply to early for him to forgive." Petrie looked very thoughtful. "And we can't understand Cera too. Why have she done it? We are no threehorns. Oh no!" Now Petrie nodded slowly and asked: "And if you would be in Littlefoot's place, you would forgive Cera later?" "Certainly. It takes time to cool down. We shouldn't throng Littlefoot." "You mean all we can do is waiting?" "I fear", Ducky sighed. "And how long?" "I don't know. Oh no, no, no, no, no!" Petrie nodded again. And then he croaked with a wry grin: "Oh I wish some terrible catastrophe would happen. That would accelerate Littlefoot and Cera weld together. Just like then." Ducky laughed first time since the quarrel had begun: "Let's hope we won't need a catastrophe." Petrie and Spike laughed too. They enjoyed it. "It's time to fly back to our nests", Petrie said. "We won't fly. Will we Spiky?" Ducky answered grinning and Spike lowered his head to let Ducky climb on it. "Good night!" Petrie croaked, swinging himself up into the air. He disappeared in the darkness with a few flaps. Ducky and Spike went back too. 


	6. A fateful decision

Chapter V  
A fateful decision  
  
Nothing changed in the following days. Littlefoot's fury at Cera didn't remit. Ducky's, Petrie's and Spike's thought began to waver that the time was such a great healer as they had thought. They stayed with Littlefoot, but nothing was like it had been before. Their friendship with Littlefoot suffered from his bad mood, and Ducky, Petrie and Spike felt more helpless with every new day. Their parents had noticed the quarrel too, but they didn't pay much attention to it, and none of the children tried to raise their attention. The only exception was Daddy Topps, Cera's father. When Cera came home one evening after a long, lonely, boring day he was already waiting for her. He smiled happily and seemed to be in very good spirits. It had been ages since Cera had seen him in such a good mood. She was pleasantly surprised about the cordial welcome her father gave her and for a moment she forgot even the quarrel, till she heard the reason for her fathers good mood. Her father invited Cera to go for a walk with him and Cera understood that he wanted to speak with her undisturbed by other dinosaurs, and that she would hear the reason for his merriment. Something great must have happened. They sauntered along the shore of the river that crossed the Great Valley supplied by the thundering waterfalls, for a while. Now there were only a few dinosaurs dwelling there because it began already to grow dark and the sky shined in deep purple. "I've noticed that you don't hang around with these longneck and his friends anymore." Cera twitched as if he had dealt her a blow. She anticipated what would come now and with an aggressive undertone in her voice she called defiantly: "So what?" Her father laughed. "Well so! You've stopped hanging around with them for scarcely a moment and already you start to behave like a real threehorn." "What do you mean by that?" Cera asked surprised. "Your response. Haven't you noticed that you have just responded in a much more severe tone as you would have done when they weren't your friends?" Cera became more and more furious, she snorted placed herself in her father's way scraped with one of her feet and cried enraged: "But Littlefoot, Petrie, Ducky and Spike are my friends! And they will always be my friends, you know that!" Cera wasn't sure if her words were right anymore and the possibility that they could be wrong made her anxious. Daddy Topps's face and voice became more earnest when he answered: "The longneck seems to have another opinion. And the others..." Cera didn't want to hear anything more. She wanted her father to be silent and she couldn't hold back any longer. She stormed against her father and let her bowed head crash against his. Cera rebounded of her father's head. She was dizzy and her head hurt while her father seemed to be not in the least disturbed, quite the contrary. He laughed cheerfully while Cera rubbed her hurting head. He established satisfied: "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope." A real threehorn! Cera knew what her father meant. She had always been pugnacious, much more than any of her friends, but nevertheless she was much more sociable than the other threehorns, a fact that had always disturbed her father. Cera hadn't admitted it very often to her friends, but she didn't like most other threehorns very much. They were so arrogant, fierce and dogmatic. And she should become like them? No! She didn't want that. She cast a furious look at Daddy Topps; then she turned round and went back to her nest. Daddy Topps looked after her smiling, but a bit disappointed too. When he was sure that Cera couldn't see him anymore he moaned and rubbed his head. Although he hadn't showed it his head hurt very much. He was impressed; his daughter seemed to be really on the right way.  
  
Cera cowered fury down in her nest. Her father had always been a bit conservative regarding her friends, but that! Now! Never before she had been so enraged with him. Vexed she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But she was unable to fall asleep. To many thoughts whirled around in her head. And one of it formed more and more clearly. "Run off!"  
  
Nothing became better during the next days. One evening Cera lay again by her place in the sedge. Since the beginning of the quarrel she had spent her most time here. Her father had become worse during the last days and Littlefoot and the others hadn't deviated a millimeter from their attitude. Cera employed herself with the thought she had repressed as silly when she had had it first time. Now it didn't seem to be so silly longer. She had no more friends. And she couldn't endure anymore to be so lonely. Out there she would be lonely too, but at least she wouldn't be forced to see what she had lost every day. Thinking too much about the ifs and buts would make everything even harder Cera decided. Yes, she would run off! This very night! 


	7. Out of the Valley

Chapter VI  
Out of the Valley  
  
Cera waited all through the night and forced herself to stay awake. Finally, when she was sure, that everybody slept she stood up and stole away. She looked back once more. There lay her father, Daddy Topps sleeping soundly. A tear began to glitter in one of her eyes. She wiped it off, turned round hastily and hurried up to go on. On her way to the tunnel she had to sneak past the nests of Ducky and her family. In doing so she kicked a small stone. Cera herself didn't even notice it, but the rebounded of a tree trunk and hit Ducky. She blinked drowsy but became wide-awake when she noticed Cera. First she wanted to address Cera, but then she noticed that Cera went on her way unswervingly. She seemed to have not even noticed her. But when Cera wasn't here to speak with her, what did she want, now in the midst of night? Cera had such a strange determined-sad look and she seemed to have a concrete objective. Ducky stood up silently and pursued Cera quietly, always hiding behind trees or bushes. After a while they reached the play-meadow. There was no place to hide on the meadow itself, so Ducky stayed behind a small boulder at the border of the wood that bordered to the meadow. Ducky watched Cera, who had just crossed the meadow, and started to climb up the way that led up to the tunnel. What did she want there? A terrible foreboding arose in Ducky. But that was impossible!  
  
Cera hadn't noticed Ducky and so she went on till she reached the place where the narrow rocky path led into the tunnel that led to the mysterious beyond. Here the path broadened to a wide rocky projection, from which nearly the whole Great Valley could be seen. Cera let her eyes rove over the Valley. From here she and the others had seen the Great Valley for the first time. A short distance below was the place where Littlefoot had fallen down the slope. And here she would leave the Valley in which she had lived for such a long time. Cera hesitated. Should she really go? Here was enough foot and water. Out there she wouldn't be able to rely on this. She had also no idea where she should go. And moreover she was protected here. Out there in the mysterious beyond lived the sharpteeth. But then she banished her doubts, posed, turned round and cantered through the tunnel.  
  
Ducky fearfully cried out when she saw Cera leaving the Great Valley. Her most terrible apprehension had been right after all! But Cera couldn't hear her, Ducky's voice was far to low. First Ducky wanted to run speedily behind Cera, but while she crossed the play-meadow she recognised that she was far to slow to catch up with Cera. Her advantage was far to far and she would also have little chance to find Cera if she tried it alone. She needed help to find Cera, bring her first to reason and then back in the Valley. She had to hurry up because Cera was in danger too, alone out there. So Ducky jerked round and ran back to her nest as fast as she could. Very close by slept Spike. Ducky knew how difficult it was to wake him up, but now every second counted, so she couldn't be considerate. With both fists she drummed on Spike's nose violently. Spike started up with a terrified cry. Ducky tried to hold to Spike's mouth with her both arms. Of course this didn't work, but Spike had understood that he should be quiet. He starred furiously at Ducky. He wasn't accustomed to be woken up so ungently. But he forgot his furry when he noticed how upset and confused Ducky was. She told him what she had seen in a few short sentences. Spike became wide- awake immediately. Ducky jumped upon his back and he ran over to Petrie's nest as fast and as silently as he could. "It seems as if the catastrophe you've wished is now there", said Ducky to Petrie with a tormented smile when they were on their way to Littlefoot's nest after they had woken up Petrie. Petrie nodded absent-mindedly. He as well as Ducky reflected upon how Littlefoot would respond and they decided to lead him to the play- meadow first to prevent anybody else being woken up. Ducky jogged at Littlefoot's shoulder carefully. She didn't want to put Littlefoot in bad mood immediately by waking him up the rude way. Littlefoot blinked tiredly. "Wake up, Littlefoot!" Ducky whispered. "We must talk over something very, very important! Oh yes we must!" "What? ...now?" Littlefoot mumbled sleepy. "Yes, now! We must hurry up!" whispered Petrie and Ducky chattered her, "Yep, yep, yep!" quietly afterwards to gave Petries words more emphasis. Littlefoot laboriously straightened up, but he had to hurry up, because the others had already cantered of. Littlefoot ran after them discontented. On the way he thought over what could be important enough to talk about now, in the midst of night. He felt that it would have to do with Cera. Ducky, Petrie and as good as he could Spike had talked of nothing else because of this during the last days, a fact that didn't even contribute to improve his mood. They stopped on the play-meadow below the tunnel and Ducky said again hastily, what she had observed. "We must follow her, and bring her back, before anything befalls to her!" she concluded. Littlefoot had heard Ducky silently and with growing apprehension. He didn't know what he should think of this, but he wasn't convinced when Ducky had finished. Tormenting thoughts prevent him from being convinced. "No!" he said low, but determined. "What do you mean with no?" Petrie asked worriedly. He, Spike and Ducky knew exactly what Littlefoot meant, but they couldn't believe this, they didn't want to believe this. "No! I won't run after her!" said Littlefoot louder, and even more determined. Ducky, Spike and Petrie looked at him like they would have usually only looked at a sharptooth. Littlefoot couldn't stand these looks and so he continued hastily: "She doesn't really want to run away from the Valley! Does she?" Littlefoot had only thought the last sentence instead of speaking it out. "She will wait for us somewhere close by. She thinks that everything will be forgiven and forgotten if we search and find her. But she's wrong!" It hurt Littlefoot himself to speak these words. He wasn't sure if his supposition was right, but he could not at all imagine that Cera really wanted to leave the Great Valley forever. Ducky who had composed herself somewhat said imploring: "You can't really believe what you've just said! You know how... proud Cera is. And after everything that has happened... She really wants to go! She has reasons enough!" Everybody was silence for some moments. Littlefoot seemed to fight an inward battle. Then he mumbled: "I won't come along!" Petrie flapped over to Littlefoot, clung to his nose, looked firmly in his eyes and croaked with one last hope: "That is not in earnest Littlefoot." But Littlefoot nodded, so Petrie lost his balance and fell down and answered nearly whispering: "I am being earnest Petrie!" and he continued a bit louder: "Good luck! But I don't believe that you will need it. Cera will wait for you outside!" "And if? Shall this quarrel never end Littlefoot?" Ducky asked reproachfully. "Cera has insulted my mother. I can't forgive her! Mother would have to do that." And silently Littlefoot added: "But she can't where she is now." Ducky looked at Littlefoot sadly. He wouldn't change his mind, and they had not enough time to waste it. Cera's avail grew with every second. Ducky shook her head very slightly, turned round and climbed on Spike's back. Spike gave Littlefoot an angry look; then he went off on the path that led up to the tunnel. Petrie sighed. He gave Littlefoot a long disappointed and sad look; then he nodded to say goodbye and hurried up to flap after Spike and Ducky. 


	8. The voice of heart

Chapter VII  
The voice of heart  
  
Littlefoot remained lonely. What he felt would have been understatement by saying he was downcast. He felt so empty, as if a piece of himself had been gone apart from him. Littlefoot followed the others with his eyes till they disappeared in the tunnel. "Good luck!" he sighed. "I hope that you won't need it!" He turned round and trotted back to his nest with head bowed. Many thoughts tormented him on his way back. Would Cera really wait close by? He hopped so, because Ducky, Spike and Petrie would bee in danger if they would have to follow Cera through the mysterious beyond. And Cera would be in danger too! This thought disquieted Littlefoot more than he admitted even to himself. And what should he tell the grownups, Cera's, Ducky's and Petrie's parents? They would interrogate him first about the disappearance of their children. Even if they all should return safety nothing would be like it had been before. He had torn the invisibility bond of friendship that had always joined them to each other. There was only one way to repair this bond, and only a small amount of time to do it. But on the other side was his mother. Littlefoot would have forgiven Cera nearly everything, but not that. As he had said to Ducky, Petrie and Spike he was unable to forgive Cera alone. Littlefoot had reached his nest now and forced himself to stop thinking. There would be enough time to be worried tomorrow. He shut his eyes. Next moment he opened his eyes wide. He had felt that something had changed, but he hadn't expected, what he saw now. He was on a giant sandy plane. Small rocks and boulders lay scattered everywhere. The sun burned down very hot and bright from the sky. Littlefoot looked around confused. This plane extended to the horizon in every direction and anyhow it seemed to be known to Littlefoot, but he couldn't remember where he had seen the environment before. He felt very exhausted as if he had run for hours by this heat. The glaring sun blinded him and forced him to narrow his eyes to thin slits. Suddenly he noticed a figure that just disappeared at the horizon. In spite of the long distance and despite the glimmering air near the horizon Littlefoot recognised Cera distinctly. Surprised he opened his eyes wide, but he shut them again immediately, because the glaring light drove the tears in his eyes. When he opened his eyes to slits again some seconds later Cera's figure had disappeared. Instead of her he saw another figure that had nearly reached the horizon. Littlefoot strained his eyes and recognised that it was not only one, but three figures. It was Spike and he carried Ducky and Petrie on his back, so Littlefoot hadn't been able to distinguish their shapes from Spike's first. Littlefoot breathed and by doing this he perceived that his throat was rather dry; he was very thirsty. He shouted: "Petrie, Ducky, Spike wait for me! Where are we here?" Littlefoot waited a few seconds, but the figures didn't stop. He shouted again, but vainly. His voice had become very husky, when he shouted the third time. His voice croaked nearly like Petrie's. He closed his eyes and gasped for breath to shout again. But when he opened his eyes again Spike, Ducky and Petrie had disappeared. Suddenly a shadow lay over Littlefoot and a smooth voice said gently: "It is of no use to call them. They can't hear you, they are to far away." Littlefoot looked up surprised and then he forgot to breathe for some seconds. He knew the voice, but he hadn't heard it for a long time. Last time was when he had discovered the Great Valley. He stared at the longneck that just appeared in front of him disconcertedly. There was no doubt it was his mother. She smiled and bent her head down to him. Littlefoot was still a little numbed, so it was difficult for him to ask: "Mother?" She nodded: "Yes, I am." The numbness vanished from Littlefoot as sudden as it has come. He shouted: "Mother! You are there!" and cut a caper. "You know I'm always there! And the more urgent you need me the more near I am!" Littlefoot stopped gamboling suddenly, bowed his head and mumbled sadly: "This must be a dream! And I will wake up." His mother nodded: "That's true Littlefoot. But not yet. Listen to me first." Littlefoot looked up to her again and she said: "Littlefoot, do you remember what you've experienced with your friends Ducky, Petrie, Spike and...", she paused a moment, "...Cera?" Littlefoot nodded silently. "And remember what I've said you long time ago?" Littlefoot nodded and shook his head a second later. "What do you mean?" "Listen always to your heart! What does it say you momentarily?" Littlefoot closed his eyes and listened, but not with his ears. He couldn't remember when he had heard the voice of his heart so clearly last time. "It says; follow your friends!" Littlefoot said slowly. His mother bowed her head even lower down to him and asked encouraging: "And why don't you do it?" Littlefoot was confused. He started to object: "But... but Cera has..." His mother interrupted him with an earnest nodding. "I know what Cera has done. That wasn't very nice from her, but she repented it, since she had done it. She feels even worse than you." Littlefoot was surprised for a short moment. Apparently his mother could see what other dinosaurs felt. "I've forgiven Cera since, and you should forgive her too now." Littlefoot nodded and he felt as if a hundredweight burden had been taken from his shoulders. The mainly reason for him not to forgive Cera was gone. His mother had forgiven her. "Please be cautious when you follow your friends. It will be dangerous", his mother said and her voice sounded worried now. "I will!" Littlefoot said calmly. His mother smiled again when she said very softly: "And now it is time to go. You must hurry up! You must wake up!" Suddenly Littlefoot felt very sad again. "I don't want to wake up! I want to stay with you!" "Not yet. The time has not come yet." Littlefoot perceived that the landscape began to blur and his mother seemed to disintegrate too. "Please don't go away! Please don't let me alone!" Littlefoot pleaded. "You won't be alone!" said his mother and bowed her head lower to touch him. "I will always be in your heart." In the last moment before her head could touch Littlefoot's she disappeared finally. "I will always be in your heart!" His mother's words resounded in Littlefoot's memory. He kept his eyes closed, and he closed them more fiercely, but vainly. He saw nothing but blackness. After all he had to accept that his mother wouldn't come back. He opened his eyes and saw that he lay in his nest and nothing had changed. He was confused and asked himself: "It has really been nothing but a dream?" Everything had seemed so real. He answered his question himself by shacking his head. This hadn't been only a dream. His mother had spoken with him! Littlefoot looked up. Above the mountains in the east a thin red streak on the sky announced the speedy daybreak. Littlefoot had to hurry up, because the first grownups would awake soon. He stood up silently and sneaked away. He hesitated for a moment when he past his sleeping grandparents. "I will be back soon!" he promised whispering. And then he ran as fast as possible to the tunnel. 


	9. Cera's purpose

Chapter VIII  
Cera's purpose  
  
The landscape had scarcely altered since the setting out. A giant sandy plane extended to the horizon. It was covered by numerous big and shapeless boulders and small rocks. The first sunbeams dipped the landscape in an orange light and the shadows of the rocks and boulders seemed to cover the plain unlimitedly. Cera hurried up to get on. She was acquainted with the environment and she knew that nearly unbearable heat would replace the pleasant coolness of the night when the bright circle would rise. Cera was tired, but she wanted to reach her purpose as soon as possible. When she had left the Great Valley some hours ago she hadn't had a definite purpose. She had only run of without considering where to. Her only intention had been to enlarge the distance between herself and the Great Valley as quickly as possible. But soon she became conscious that she knew the environment she crossed. She had considered shortly and had remembered that this was the way to the land of mists. Some time ago she had already covered the lonely way. Then a herd of migrating longnecks had come into the Great Valley for a few days. They had left their home because changing climate and nearly constant rain had made it uninhabitable for them. The once marvelous land had become the dangerous land of mists, which was full of odd creatures. Among these longnecks had been a young longneck female named Ali. Littlefoot and Ali had made very close friends. But Ali had been educated following the old rule that everybody had to stick to his sort. During her nomadic live she had never come to know anybody except longnecks. So Ali hadn't wanted to make friends with herself, Ducky, Petrie and Spike first. Cera had disliked Ali, taking her for an arrogant snob. Shortly after Littlefoot's grandfather had become very ill and the old one, the wise leader of the migrating longnecks had told that only the petals of the golden Nightflower, that grew only in the land of mists could heal him and save his life. None of the grown up longnecks wanted to show his grandmother the way to the land of mists and to the Nightflower. They were too afraid of this inhospitable and perilous country. So Littlefoot had asked Ali to describe him the way to the Nightflowers. He had been resolute to find the Nightflowers although he had to leave the Great Valley furtively because the grownups would have never allowed him to go. But Ali hadn't described to him the way, she had accompanied him herself to lead him to the Nightflowers, but only on condition that they went alone, without Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky. And so Littlefoot and Ali had gone alone to find the Nightflowers. Ducky, Spike, Petrie and especially Cera herself had been very angry about that. Shortly after Ali had appeared in the Great Valley without Littlefoot and reported them hastily that Littlefoot had been buried by an earthquake in the cave that was the entrance to the land of mists. Ducky, Petrie and Spike had accompanied Ali immediately, to rescue Littlefoot. But Cera's mistrust against Ali had been so great that she hadn't believed Ali at once and had stayed in the Great Valley. But Cera's anxiety for Littlefoot had soon got the upper hand of their mistrust and she had speedy followed the tracks of the others. The tracks had led exactly through the environment she crossed at the moment. Then she had reached a mountain range in which she had found a great waterfall with the cave in which Littlefoot had been buried behind it. She had helped the others decisively to free Littlefoot and saved him from being devoured by two very strange "sharpteeth" out of the land of mists. But this hadn't made her becoming Ali's friend, although she had abandoned of her mentality against non-longnecks. But when Ali had rescued Cera later from drowning and being devoured they had come to know each other better and had become nearly inseparable friends. Then on her way up to the cave Cera had seen a valley aside the waterfall. The water that came down the waterfall crossed this valley as a winding river. Indeed the valley was small compared with the Great Valley, but Cera wanted to reach this valley now. There was more than enough green food to eat and fresh water to drink. Besides the valley was close enough to the Great Valley, so she would always be able to return if she should ever want to. Cera forced herself to stop thinking of the former. These memories could only made her sadder. First time she became aware of the fact that she was really lonely now. If Littlefoot would forgive her anytime? She forced herself again not to finish the thought. Instead of this she hastened her tempo to reach her purpose soon.  
  
They had followed Cera's tracks for hours. Fortunately Cera's feed had left very distinctly prints in the softly, sandy ground. The sun stood high on the sky in the meanwhile; the air began to glimmer and the rock's and boulder's shadows were shrunk considerably. Spike stopped for a moment and pawed in the sand with one of his feet. His foot hit on hard ground after a few centimeters. The loose sand was only a thin stratum covering sand that had changed to sandstone by lying motionless since many millenniums. It seemed not to be a very windy region. How greatly Spike wished to be home in the Great Valley. If he hadn't known what was at stake, he would have turned round and ran back to the Valley. But so he gritted his teeth and plodded on. For a swimmer who loved the water like Ducky the heat was especially hard to endure. She crouched down in the tiny shadow of Spike's back plates. Petrie did the same. He had stopped flying already some time ago to set down on Spike's back. They all had recognised the environs like Cera had done. They anticipated what was Cera's purpose. It was probably the small valley near the cave that led to the land of the mists. But they also apprehended the dangerous and inhospitable land of the mists itself could be Cera's purpose. If this should take place Cera must have been become really mad. Since they had left the Great Valley they had spoken nearly no single word. A depressing silence ruled over them. They all thought the same: "Why Littlefoot must be so unforgiving?" Although they could understand his anger about what Cera had done, their own anger with Littlefoot grew with every step Spike took. When he had refused to accompany them he had forsaken not only Cera, but also themselves. 


	10. A catastrophe to reunion

Chapter IX  
A catastrophe to reunion  
  
Littlefoot narrowed his eyes to slits and let them rove along the horizon. The sun blinded him, but nevertheless he believed to recognise a figure far away between the rocks. It had to be Spike with Ducky and Petrie on his back. Littlefoot shaded his eyes by holding his head on his long neck into the shadow of his own body, and looked again.  
  
Yes it were Spike, Petrie and Ducky. No mistake was possible. Cera was not with them and Littlefoot repented the suspicion he had had a short while ago, that Cera could have feigned all this. Littlefoot gasped for breath. Since he had left the Valley he had run nearly uninterrupted, without granting himself a rest. He had held only to watch for the others. After gasping again he called as loud as he could: "Petrie! Spike! Ducky! Wait for me!" Littlefoot stared at the figures of the others near the horizon. When they didn't respond after some seconds he gasped once more to call again. But he then ceased. He felt a stabbing pain in his nearly dried up neck and he felt his voice turning husky. Everything here equaled to his dream and he knew that the others wouldn't hear him. They were simply to far away. Littlefoot sighed profoundly and ran on swearing quietly at himself for not having taken the time to drink a swallow after having woken up from his dream that had shown all this.  
  
Spike plodded along, exhausted, tired, hungry, thirsty and very grieved, but firmly determined to find Cera. Ducky and Petrie on his back did not think differently. Still nobody said a word. The shadows began slowly to lengthen. The sun had already transgressed its zenith, but the heat hadn't abated. Ducky and Petrie had begun to doze on Spike's back. They were very tired, as they had hardly closed her eyes during the whole night. Spike was even more tired and only the hope to reach their purpose soon and the prospect to find something to eat, to drink, a cool snug place and above all Cera propelled him on. Ceras footprints were nearly new; she had to be in sight soon. But Spike didn't anticipate that, because he had stopped to search Cera's tracks, he knew her purpose. Suddenly he was startled by a dull rumbling and grumbling. Petrie and Ducky started up too. Spike looked up to them confused. In this moment the ground under Spike's feed began to vibrate. "An earthshake!" shouted Ducky, ducking behind Spike's back plates. "Over there!" Petrie cried with a high-pitched voice pointing at the horizon. The ground seemed to roll toward them like a water wave. Spike was lifted some meters upwards and sank downwards again when the "wave" was by. Rocks and boulders began to burst asunder all around them with enormous din. A piece of a rock that was nearly twice as big as Spike struck close beside him with a deafening banging. Ducky and Petrie screeched terrified and the next tremor passed through the ground below them. That was too much for Spike. He howled up out and rammed his head into the ground in front of his feet. He struck against the hardly sandstone below the loose sand, but he nearly didn't noticed it. All he wanted was not to see anything of the terrible things that happened around him. The earth trembled again and it broke in two. A vast tear split it from one horizon to the other. The split pushed itself with an unstoppable force and with vast quickness through the land and exactly through the point where Spike stood. Spike didn't know what happened, when his head was suddenly in the open air again. A few split seconds to late he understood what happened. He jerked round and tried to got hold ad the brink of the just arising ravine. He tried to get over the brink with his forelegs, when the continental plates urged asunder. Ducky shrieked when she lost her balance and fell down across Spike's back. In the very last moment Petrie made to seize Ducky's tail and save her of the tumble. But now he slid down Spike's back himself, clung to Spike's tail and hung, one hand clung to Spike's tail the other holding Ducky's tail between both in the air now. Spike tried in vain to clamber up across the brink of the ravine. The earthquake had stopped, but Spike felt that he wouldn't be able to hold himself and the others on for a long time.  
  
Petrie's strength dwindled with every second too. He considered feverishly. If he would try to carry Ducky up he would have to let Ducky loose for a short moment to seize her with the claws on his feet to have free wings. But then she would fell in the deep and he was unsure if he would be able to catch up with her by diving flight. Besides he doubted if he would be able to carry Ducky up. So he didn't try. Ducky looked down. She was unable to see the ground of the ravine because the bright circle stood not high to lighten it, so all she saw was darkness. Suddenly Petrie slid of. He could cling to Spike's tail again in the last moment. Ducky shrieked terrified.  
  
Littlefoot lifted his head. Hasn't he heard a scream very distinctly? He believed that it had been Ducky's voice. He had been surprised by the earthquake too and had been able to duck so avoiding some tumbling pieces of rocks. Full of fears he had run on after Spike, Ducky and Petrie. Littlefoot felt his apprehensions corroborated by the scream. The others were in danger! He couldn't see them anymore and hoped that nothing had befallen them. Littlefoot still accelerated his tempo. He felt an unpleasantly stitch in the side, and his mouth and throat were so dry that he felt it smart with every breath. Directly in front of him he saw a giant ravine till yet, so it must have resulted from the earthquake. He heard a short shriek again and now he was sure that it had been Ducky. He ran along the ravine in the direction from which the shriek had come.  
  
Spike tried to hold the edge of the ravine desperately, but it was very difficult, because of the sand above the edge that shifted by every move Spike made and trickled into his face. Moreover his strength grew less and he glided slid centimeter by centimeter toward the abyss. Petrie could hardly hold himself and Ducky. He felt as if his stretched wings had reached the twice of its length. And Ducky hung panicky without being able to do the slightest. Spike felt the edge crumbling under his forefeet. Some pieces of sandstone severed and fell down in the deep. Endlessly time seemed to pass till the hollow sound of the strike could be heard. Spike slid on. It could last only few seconds... "Spike! Grab my tail!" Littlefoot appeared up at the brink of the ravine. Spike obeyed Littlefoot's call then and there. Littlefoot gritted his own teeth valiantly and sucked air between them when Spike's bored in his tail. "Littlefoot!" shouted Ducky, who couldn't see him indeed, but had recognised his voice, relieved. "You are there!" Petrie croaked happily despite his non-enviable situation. But in the next moment both of them shrieked terrified again, because the edge had finally broken of now under Spike's weight and the recoil of a sneezing he couldn't prevent since sand had trickled into his nostrils. They all slid a short distance downwards, before Littlefoot made the slide slow down. But nevertheless Littlefoot felt how he was pulled slowly, but seemingly unstoppable toward the new brink of the abyss by the additional weight. Especially the moveable sand that still lay near the ravine made it very difficult for Littlefoot to resist against the pull. The abyss came nearer piece by piece. Littlefoot remembered his mother's words. Has the time come now? No! Not yet! Firmly determined he gathered his strength. He felt the distance to the abyss grow slowly. Spike, Ducky and Petrie realized too that they were moved upwards again slowly. Suddenly Spike felt firm ground under his forefeet and he propped against the weight that pulled him down as fiercely as he could. Littlefoot felt relieved how the weight that hung at his tail diminished more and more. And then he felt Spike's viselike teeth loosening from his tail. When he noticed firmly ground below himself and Ducky, Petrie let off Spike's tail with a relieved sigh. He felt as if his wingspread had twinned. Spike looked behind and when he saw that Ducky and Petrie were save he lay down were he stood to rest for a while. Littlefoot did the same to regain his strength. 


	11. The new home

Chapter X  
The new home  
  
Cera had reached the boundary of mountain chain in which the Valley, to which she was on the way, was. She had been surprised by the earthquake too and she was so tired, that she was ready to drop, but she didn't want to rest before reaching her purpose. The earthquake had caused damage here too. At some points avalanches of stones had blocked the narrow path she was walking on and sometimes there were cracks chapping in the path and had to be leaped over. One time she was nearly precipitated at a point where the wall of rock sloped nearly vertically to her left side, while it ascended nearly vertically to her right. She didn't know how long she had walked, but in any case the bright circle stood still a respectably distance over the mountain's summits. Suddenly Cera could hear a far weak pealing. She twitched. Her first thought was that a new earthquake was approaching. But then she realized that the noise was entirely equably and didn't become louder. Moreover the earth didn't start to tremor. And then she knew where the noise came from. She ran on along the path as fast as she could, deflected around a corner, and then she saw the waterfall. Here the mountains branched of building a small basin which ground was filled by a small lake. The lake was supported by the water that fell down the opposite step of rock in tremendous amounts. A dense cloud of water particles rose over the basin and built two marvelous opalescenting rainbows. Cera halted for a moment. The view was imposing. Indeed she had seen it before, but then she hadn't had the time to enjoy it. For a moment Cera forgot even why she was here and for some seconds she was really happy. She looked around fascinated. The aspect of a gulch through which the lake's water meandered as a broad river and that led to her actually purpose reminded her of the reason for her presence. She followed the relatively wide rocky path that led to the gulch. There she followed the shore of the river till she reached a ledge from which she had a good prospect of the valley that should become her new home now. Anyhow it remembered her to the Great Valley although these looked very differently. This valley was smaller and closer wooded. Only here and there some rocks towered up out of the primeval forest. Nearby the river built a small waterfall. At some points the river that crossed the valley widened to some small lakes. But nevertheless... Cera stopped thinking, because she noticed her sight blurred. This was not the Great Valley! The Great Valley was a place far back in her past. She had reached her purpose. Her hunger and thirst were enormous, but her weariness was even more enormous. She laid down and fell asleep there and then. 


	12. Beyond the ravine

Chapter XI  
Beyond the ravine  
  
At the same time Littlefoot got up quickly. He was not as tired as he had been before, but he was still very hungry and thirsty and that forced him on. A bit dissatisfied he established that they had wasted much time with the rest; the bright circle neared the horizon where it would set. Littlefoot gave up the hope to find Cera already today. He looked around and saw Ducky, Spike and Petrie who were awake more or less already. "Come on guys, we must go!" Littlefoot said faintly. Ducky, Spike and Petrie didn't stir they just looked at Littlefoot sadly. "What direction we should go?" Petrie asked quietly. Littlefoot looked at him blankly. "That way of course!" he pointed over the ravine with his head. "Where else? Come on we must hurry up to find her!" By Littlefoot's last words the others listened up. "You've come to find Cera?" Petrie asked hopefully. And Ducky and Spike stared at him expectantly too. "Certainly! Come on!" His friend's doubts were embarrassing to Littles and small rothe cheers they gave now made him embarrassed even more. Littlefoot had changed his terrible mind! Ducky and Petrie performed a real joyful dance on Spike's head, while Spike himself faced Littlefoot giving him the most beautiful smile Littlefoot had ever seen and passed his tongue through Littlefoot's face. Spike could speak louder than with words in his own way. Petrie flapped over to his favorite place on Littlefoot's head. He hadn't been there since the beginning of the quarrel. Ducky followed him. "We must find her! And we will find her!" Littlefoot said with a smile and Spike hummed agreeing. First time since the beginning of the quarrel they were really friends again.  
  
Petrie flapped across the ravine, which blocked their way further. He surveyed it carefully with his eyes. At one point, not far away the ravine narrowed a bit. Petrie circled over this point appraising the distance and landed after all on the other side calling his friends: "Littlefoot! Spike! Here you can do it too." A bit at a loss he looked at Ducky. She was far smaller than Spike and Littlefoot so it was very doubtfully if she would be able to do the jump on her own too and it was also uncertain if she would be able to hold on Littlefoot's or Spike's back during the jump. "Me help you Ducky!" Petrie called and flew over to the others. Ducky shuddered when she looked down the ravine she and the others had nearly fallen down before. But then Petrie seized her shoulders with the claws of his feet. Ducky hold on to his feet, took a run and jumped. Petrie flapped with his wings as fierce as he could, and together they managed to reach the other side with a rough, but save landing. Littlefoot took a run and jumped over the ravine in a high arc landing safely on the other side. Spike hesitated and looked down the terrible abyss, but then he jumped too. He brought only his forelegs over the brink on the other side. Ducky shrieked terrified: "Spiky!" He hung just like he had hung before on the other side. But this time fears were unnecessary, Spike propped up himself over the brink. Ducky ran towards him. "Everything Ok little brother?" Spike nodded and lifted her on his head carefully. "Let's go on!" Ducky shouted happily and they went on all together firmly determined to find Cera. Littlefoot's return had cheered them all up and it seemed to have given them new strength. The sun neared slowly, but definitely the horizon and began to tinge the sky reddish. 


	13. An old friend

Chapter XII  
An old friend  
  
At the same time Cera woke up on the rocky ledge where she had fallen asleep, just at the entrance of the valley that should be her new home now. She wasn't very safe here, this valley was open to every sharptooth and she was entirely lonely at last. But at least here was enough to eat and to drink. This thought made Cera notice her hunger, that made conspicuous with painfully belly aches in the meantime, and her stinging thirst. She ran down to the ground of the valley towards a group of trees that had treestars in their tops. Cera took a run and rammed before the trunk of one tree with all her might. She bounced of backwards and landed painfully on her back, but the floating treestars that poured out over her head compensated her for that. She ate till she felt unable to eat a single spear of grass anymore and the bellyaches ceased. But her neck was still oven dry and her throat was parched. From the ledge she had seen that the river widened to a lake nearby and she began to seek for it. She roved a while around in the primeval forest. Again and again her way was blocked by impenetrable thicket of brushwood. The valley ground consisted of innumerable plateaus. Most of them were not very big and the altitude difference of the bordering plateaus was rarely bigger than a meter. Some of these plateaus were slanting and seemed to shove over other plateaus. This strange structure of the ground was probably result from earthquakes. The trees and plants that grew here were the same like in the Great Valley. Now and then there were small glades overgrown with grass. Cera noticed that many ways were trampled through the bushes. Thus she was not alone in the valley and had to be carefully. Eventually she couldn't know who else was in the valley, but it was probably better not to meet him or her or them. But at the moment all that was equal to Cera. She was thirsty and she began already to become angry on herself for not drinking immediately at the river instead of searching the lake, when the forest ended and opened the sight on the lake she had sought for. The lake was indeed relatively large, but only very shallow; Cera would have been able to wade through it without any problems. Only at some spots the dark color of the water betrayed that it was deeper at the concerning spots. Cera quenched her thirst at one of these spots that could be reached with dry feet by walking on a small, rocky peninsula that towered into the lake. After she had drunk Cera looked at her reflected image on the surface of the water that shone purple in the dwindling sunlight. She thought about what had happened during the last few days. This time had changed her entire life thoroughly. For the first time she thought about how Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike and Petrie would have reacted. Regardless of everything Cera couldn't imagine that Littlefoot was pleased with this situation. And Ducky, Spike and Petrie were surely even more displeased with it. For a short moment Cera felt very silly and for an even shorter moment she thought of going back. But then she decided that it was to late. She couldn't go home anymore; never! She would have to stay here forever. A noise behind her startled Cera up from her thoughts. She just wanted to turn round when she saw something on the surface of water out of the angle of her eye. She glanced at it and twitched. Behind her own reflected image that of a young longneck had appeared! "Littlefoot!" it flashed through her mind. If she would have seen the reflected image of a sharptooth her scare could not have been bigger. She shrieked, tried simultaneous to turn round and flinch slipped on the slippery rock and fell down into the water. During the few seconds she needed to crop up again innumerable thoughts buzzed around in her head like a swarm of bees. Why Littlefoot was here? His face had looked very happy. Were Ducky Spike and Petrie here too? Should she be glad, run away or... In this moment she broke through the surface of water. "Cera! Are you that?" That hadn't been Littlefoot's voice, it had sounded far clearer. Cera risked a careful look back. The longneck that stood at the shore resembled Littlefoot at the first sight, but this longneck had blue eyes instead of Littlefoot's brown. That was not at all Littlefoot, that was a girl, that was... "Ali?" "Cera, you are it really?" the longneck asked hopefully. "Ali!" Cera shouted again still completely disconcerted. "You are it!" Ali answered her own question. Cera jumped out of the lake shook of the water away and ran over to her friend laughing and forgetting her sorrows for a moment. "Cera, that's super! We haven't seen us for such a long time!" "Ali, what are you doing here?" Cera said with a voice that was mixed of gladness, surprise and a trace of alarm. There were so many unpleasant things to explain Ali. "Our herd has come to this valley yesterday. The old one had decided that we will stay for some days before we will migrate." Cera felt frightened. If the longnecks would find her, they would probably bring her back to the Great Valley. Ali noticed Cera's dismay. "What's the matter, Cera?" she asked worriedly. "The other members of your herd, they mustn't find me!" Cera said nearly whispering as if she was afraid that anybody could hear her. Ali nodded, she had understood. "I know a place where they won't find you. Come on!" She started up and Cera pursued her closely. On the way Ali asked the questions that preyed on her mind since she had met Cera, and that Cera had feared since their meeting. On the one hand Cera was very glad to have met Ali and not to be alone anymore, but on the other hand she was in fear of answering Ali's questions. "What are you doing here?" Ali asked. "Are Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike nearby too?" "Let's go to your hiding place at first", Cera whispered back and Ali nodded silently although she could hardly await the answers of her questions. Cera had won time, and on the way she pondered innumerable excuses to explain Ali why she was here, lonely without Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike so far away from the Great Valley. But none of the excuses sounded credible and moreover Cera had the feeling that she owed Ali the truth. She decided to tell Ali everything when they would have reached her hiding place. But how would she react? Finally she was a longneck, just like Littlefoot. But Cera had no idea what else she should do. Ali led Cera to the border of the valley. The nearer they came to the walls of rock that restricted the valley, the more plane was the ground and the fewer was the number of the plateaus. When they left the forest they stood in front of a stripe covered with grass, which separated the rocks that elevated behind the stripe, from the forest. Two big ledges that were only separated by a very narrow ravine towered from the wall of rock in front of them. It had probably been one single ledge once before, that had become split up to two pieces by an earthquake. The walls of the left ledge rose nearly perpendicularly so that it looked like a giant pillar. But the side of the other, far bigger ledge, that was turned away from the ravine was an easy gradient, so they could walk up there comfortably. From the top Cera looked down into the ravine. Near it's entrance it was blocked by a huge boulder, so it was impossible to pass it. The ravine ended in a tiny dale that could be reached from up here by using the numerous ledges at the walls of rocks as steps inasmuch as jump down slowly from one ledge to the next lower one. From up here everything could be seen without being seen self. Even a few trees grew up on the great ledge. It was a marvelous hiding place. Ali's voice startled Cera up from her thoughts. "Cera, why are you here now? Are the others nearby too?" Cera sighed, turned to Ali and began to narrate from the outset. 


	14. Evening in the Valley

Chapter XIII  
Evening in the Valley  
  
Meanwhile Littlefoot and the others had arrived on the ledge from which Cera had surveyed the valley hours before. "How lovely!" Ducky shouted enthusiastically when she saw the three lakes that reflected the last sunlight. Littlefoot nodded absent minded and looked up to the bright circle that seemed to touch the ground behind the mountains in the west. "No use to start seeking Cera today", he sighed. "It will be dark soon" "Petrie is hungry, thirsty and tired!" the small flyer proclaimed. Spike nodded so fiercely that Ducky who was still absorbed in looking at the lakes nearly fall down from his head. "So let's take a meal and sleep then", Littlefoot suggested. "Maybe it will be a strenuous day tomorrow" Everyone agreed.  
  
Meantime Cera had told Ali everything. She had neither palliated anything nor she had omitted anything. Now she observed Ali out of the angle of her eye and tried to interpret her lineaments. Ali looked very affected, but besides she seemed to try to suppress a great joyfulness, of which Cera couldn't imagine wherefrom it arose. Ali's next words made Cera understand. "That means Littlefoot will come too, and Ducky, Petrie and Spike!" Ali looked as if she would have liked dearest to exult. But Cera shook her head silently and very sadly shaking her head again. "Not this time." Ali's face changed promptly, she seemed to become angrily and answered rather violently:  
  
"Of course they will!" Ali saw Cera jerking with her words she noticed her fear that a quarrel was about to break out between them too. Ali continued immediately in a far more gentle voice: "Sorry Cera", Cera looked up very relieved. "But the others will definitely come! They won't forsake you!" Cera was very obligated thankful with Ali for her consolatory words, but she didn't believe in it. "No Ali!" she nearly whispered it, but Ali understood her clearly. "They won't come! I've affronted Littlefoot's mother. Littlefoot would forgive me everything, but not that!" Cera had to take deep breath before could speak further: "And Ducky, Petrie and Spike won't come on their own too. Besides they have no idea where I am." They were both quiet for a moment. Ali considered if Cera could be right yet. At any rate, she knew Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike far, far longer. But nevertheless Ali couldn't imagine that Littlefoot and the others wouldn't try to find Cera. Very few knew as good as Ali how meanly Cera could be, but nearly as few knew what a diamond was behind her tough exterior. And if there was one who knew this as good as she self, then it was Littlefoot. Once more she repeated: "They will come, Cera!" Cera didn't answer and they looked at each other for a moment. Suddenly Ali noticed that the sun had already set behind the mountains. She had to hurry up if she didn't want to get into trouble. The setting in darkness was not the only reason that would make her mother and the other grownups fretting about her. "Cera, I must home! My mum will be worried. We've found a trail yesterday that comes, possibly, from a sharptooth." "A sharptooth? Here?" Cera jumped. "Possibly", Ali answered calming while she turned already to go. "Thanks!" Cera shouted after her. Ali stopped and turned her head back. "What for?" she asked slightly puzzled. "For everything!" Ali smiled and Cera returned it. "I'll come back tomorrow", Ali said still than she disappeared in the darkness. Cera noticed just how tired she was. She wrapped up below a small tree and fell asleep immediately. 


	15. Bad and good news

Chapter XIV  
Bad and good news  
  
Ali ran as fast as she could. Her mother would certainly slate her. Now she crossed the river at the lake where she had met Cera, and soon after she reached the herd's resting place. It was not only one of the rare glades that existed here, but also one of the very few plain places in the valley, without the customary plateaus. The ground was rocky and some narrow lava vents bestowed light and warmness. Here and there were some irregular placed rocks. It was a good resting Place. Her mother ran towards Ali immediately and far away from slating she seemed to be very relieved. "Ali! Thank god you're back." And a bit more reproachful she asked: "Where on earth have you been all the time? You haven't heard me calling, haven't you?" Ali endeavored to contrive a partway-credible excuse. "I've only reconnoitred the Valley, Mum. Eventually we are going to stay here for a while, don't we?" "No, Ali! The old one has decided that we'll rest tomorrow and leave the valley the day after." Ali twitched. "What? But why?" "The trails we've found, there is no doubt possible anymore that they are from a sharptooth. Moreover we've found more tracks of it, and they were pretty new. It's just luck we haven't met the sharptooth yet. The old one is of opinion we should do everything to avoid an encounter with the sharptooth." Many thoughts passed through Ali's mind. What if Littlefoot and the others wouldn't be arrived till then? That they would come Ali didn't call in question for a second. But what if they wouldn't be there when she would have to leave the valley, the day after tomorrow? She couldn't leave Cera alone here, and moreover she didn't want to let the uniquely chance slip to meet Littlefoot and the others again. Wouldn't it be the best and easiest to tell her mother everything? But Ali decided to wait with that and to speak with Cera again first. "It is unnecessary to tell you that you'll have to stay with the herd tomorrow, isn't it?" Ali's mother said very earnest. "But Mum..." "It is far too dangerous, Ali!" a voice said suddenly behind her. Ali jerked round and looked into the puckered face of the old one. "You'll stay here." Ali receded reverentially a few steps and nodded, while she couldn't turn her eyes away from the venerable figure. It was impossible to contradict the old one although she would have liked to do so. She couldn't resist the old ones look, like nobody else could. The old one was the undisputed leader of the herd. Her word was law, since she was the wisest member of the herd. She gave Ali another piercingly look and for a moment Ali had the impression that the old one could read her thoughts, then she turned away. Ali had never had such an inner conflict. On the one hand she was educate in the strong herd rules and contravening against the old one's word was certainly the highest wrongdoing she was able to do, but on the other hand she couldn't forsake Cera. Once before she had contravened against the rules; then when she had helped the others to find the night flower. Then she hadn't got to bear any consequences, but she was sure that the grownups had overlooked it only because of their success. And now the old one herself had ordered her to stay here. Ali's desperation seemed to have been readable from her face for her mother asked suddenly while they were going to their nests: "You like this valley?" Ali simply nodded because she wasn't in mood to think of another excuse. "But you see we shouldn't risk an encounter with the sharptooth?" Ali's mother questioned further. Ali nodded again. "The only reason to stay here tomorrow is that some of us still haven't recovered from our last migration." "Well", thought Ali, "Then it had a sense after all still." She had their last migration in bad memory. They had erred through an aridly wasteland for weeks. Ali's mother eyed Ali's absent face and suddenly she smiled when she continued:  
  
"Maybe it will cheer you up to hear what is our next destination." Ali looked up. "Remember the Great Valley?" "What?" Ali startled up in sudden joy. Her mother's smile became even broader. "Actually I wanted to surprise you with that later, but you looked so downhearted that I thought it would be good to give you something you can look forward to." Indeed this was something she could look forward to, and moreover she would perhaps been able to persuade Cera to come along. But at all events she would have to go against the grown up's forbiddance to distance from the herd and that was an intent that didn't let her sleep well. 


	16. Dawn

Chapter XV  
Dawn  
  
Warm sunbeams woke up Littlefoot the next morning. He felt completely reposed and had recuperated from the exertions of the last day. When he blinked he saw that Ducky and Petrie were already awake while Spike was still snorting. The bright circle stood already a respectable high on the sky; the dusk was over. Ducky and Petrie talked with low voices and although he hadn't planned to eavesdrop he noticed immediately that they were talking about him. Just then Ducky said: "Why he has come back so suddenly yesterday?" "I dunno. But Petrie is very, veeery full of joy about that." "Certainly me too. Yep, yep, yep! But why he has come back? He was so determined to stay in the valley before, but then he was not less determined to find Cera." "Petrie believes he is simply himself again. His terrible fury seems to be gone." Littlefoot pondered. He was very disburdened, their friendship, which had suffered of the quarrel with Cera, seemed to be what it had been before. He was still fiercely determined to find Cera although he had not at all forgotten his fury about what she had done. That troubled him still, but now he was ready to speak with Cera. Maybe he would tell his friends about the meeting with his mother sometime. Littlefoot opened his eyes entirely and set upright. Ducky and Petrie moved towards him immediately. "Slept well, Littlefoot?" Petrie croaked. "Yes, thanks Petrie!" Littlefoot yawned. "But I'm really feeling empty!" "Come along then!" Ducky said making an inviting gesture to a nearby tree. "Here is more than enough green food." With the keyword catchword "green food" Spike's equably snorting stopped suddenly. He cast his eyes open, raised his head and ran towards the tree Ducky had pointed at giving a pleased humming. He rammed against the trunk with full force; he had learned this by watching Cera. Even though he was not as successful as Cera, there was rarely a leaf left on a tree Cera had chosen, a respectable "rain of treestars" poured over him. Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie followed him, and they had to eat in a hurry, because Spike devoured real bundles of leaf. When they had finished their meal Littlefoot said: "Come on! One of the lakes we had seen yesterday must be near!" "Petrie is thirsty too!" "Yep, yep, yep!" chattered Ducky while Spike galloped of as if he was going to drain of the whole lake.  
  
Meanwhile Cera extended and cast up her eyes. She looked around disconcerted. Lost of her orientation she walked in a circle again and again till she remembered the events of the last day. She sighed and let her eyes travel over the valley. She could overlook it completely from up here. That meant she saw the tree's tops that blocked the sight on the valley's floor. Like waves some trees towered over the others at many places. It was certainly because of the strange ground structure she had seen yesterday. The trees stood on plateaus of a different high. Here and there some big rocks rose over the treetops. The river with the three lakes divided the valley nearly in the middle. Only at very few points around the rocks the forest thinned. The stripe of grass at the bottom of the rocky walls made it impossible for everybody to approach without being seen from the ledge. "My new home", Cera thought sighting. Already now she missed every stem of grass that grew in the Great Valley. She turned round taking a short look down in the ravine that separated the two ledges. The ravine was broad enough that she would have been able to traverse it, (if the big boulder at the entrance hadn't blocked it) but it was far to narrow for the most grown up dinosaurs. This fact made the tiny dale to which the ravine led an eminent hiding place. Eventually a member of Ali's herd could come close at random. Moreover there were the tracks Ali had mentioned. If they were really from a sharptooth, then she would be sheltered in the dale, as long as it didn't come up the ledge. Without great appetite Cera began to chew on some leafs. She was thirsty, but she didn't dared to go down to the valley to take a drink at the river. She looked up to the sky to see how high the bright circle stood, and began to wait for Ali impatiently. 


	17. The search begins

Chapter XVI  
The search begins  
  
"If she is here, then we'll find her the fastest when we disjoin", Littlefoot said and Ducky chattered her "Yep, yep, yep!" afterwards while she leaped out of the river and shook away the water. She had enjoyed the bath in the river because she had missed the water even more than the others since she was a swimmer. Spike nodded agreeing too, pleased because nothing seemed to be more important for Littlefoot now than to find Cera. Petrie cast a damper on their gladness: "But if she is not here?" Affected silence followed. In their enthusiasm they had not even took the possibility that Cera maybe wasn't here, into consideration. This valley had probably been Cera's purpose, but they couldn't be sure about that. Moreover they hadn't found any trails of Cera since the earthquake had wiped them out. And if Cera hadn't had as much luck as them...? They tried to supersede these thoughts. "I'm sure she is here and well", Littlefoot said, and it should sound calming, but it sounded pretty unsure. He forced himself to a smile, but it didn't look true too. He self and the others didn't forget their worries. Probably they would have been more optimistic if they had known that they were just at the same place where Cera had met Ali the day before. "Ducky, Spike, you search on this side of the river. Petrie and I will cross to the other side and seek there!" The others nodded and Ducky asked: "And where we are going to meet again?" "Here at this place. If you should find Cera, return here immediately. We'll return here latest when the sky changes it's color and the bright circle touches the ground." Ducky swung herself on Spike's back and he set in motion, towards the forest. Littlefoot turned round and waded through the shallow water while Petrie flew ahead.  
  
Ali tried to abscond without calling attention on herself by looking to surreptitiously and bad conscienced. Busy doing was all over the resting place so nobody paid much attention to her. The old one was not in sight and her mother was somewhere at the other end of the resting place. The opportunity was good and Ali wanted to seize it. If anyone would cop her she would pretend to go to the river for a drink. For her relief nobody copped her. She turned aside slowly behind some brushwood till she was out of sight. First then she started to run. 


	18. An unexpected meeting

Chapter XVII  
An unexpected meeting  
  
"Cera! Cera? Are you here?" Littlefoot hearkened for a moment, but he couldn't hear an answer. Petrie flapped in a zigzag to and fro between the trees. He tried to overlook an area as big as possible. He was in opposition to his friends able to do so to a certain extent despite of the brushwood. This was the advantage to be a flyer. Some times he flew a wide loop and returned to Littlefoot just to say him again and again: "I can't see her, nowhere!" Littlefoot sighed. Meanwhile he had stopped to count how often Petrie had returned without having found anything. He himself was not more successful. The thought struck him that Cera, if she was here, possibly wouldn't appear when she would hear or see him. Normally he couldn't imagine this. Cera was far too proud to hide from him, but what had she undergone in the last time? How had his mother said? She feels even worse than you. And Littlefoot had felt very bad. Littlefoot was a kind of afraid of the thought that Cera maybe wouldn't dare to come out. It was to be hopped that Ducky and Spike on the other side of the river were more successfully than Petrie and he self were here. He expelled all this thoughts and called for Cera again while Petrie flew forth anew.  
  
Ali had just left the herd when she hesitated and skidded to a halt suddenly. She needed a moment to cost since she had run as fast as she could to reach Cera. Had she really heard something? There it was again, even more distinctly, she hadn't erred! Again she heard Littlefoot's calling: "Cera! Cera, where are you?" And a moment later Ali heard Petrie's lower croaking: "Where you are, Cera?" Ali made a joyful caper uttering a damped cheer. She hadn't been wrong about Littlefoot and the others neither. They were here to find Cera. But if they would continue to shout so loudly, the other saurians of her herd would hear them. She had to warn them of being so noisy. Ali made her way through a dense thicket and found herself on a plateau above a clear stripe of terrain Littlefoot would certainly use for his way. A moment later Ali spotted Petrie who flapped in the air directly in front of her, but in another direction so he hadn't seen her. Suddenly Petrie flew a narrow curve directly towards her. Petrie screamed in surprise and forgot to flap with his wings. He precipitated ungently at the bottom of the plateau on which Ali stood. He rubbed his head, looked up to her and muttered lowly: "Ali? You're here?" Alarmed by Petrie's scream Littlefoot came ran around the corner. He saw Petrie lying on the ground and asked frightened: "Petrie, what's the matter?" He hadn't noticed Ali yet, so he screamed surprised too when she suddenly stood in front of him after she had jumped down from the plateau. "Ali?!" "Pshhht! Don't be so loudly! The others of my herd mustn't hear you!" Littlefoot and Petrie complied immediately although they hadn't recovered from their surprise yet. "Come along. Let's go a bit farther where we can speak undisturbed", whispered Ali and ran of. Littlefoot and Petrie changed a disconcerted look before they followed her hasty. After they had covered a distance towards the river they stopped. Now, they were out of hearing for the herd and could recover the overdue hearty greeting. When the first happiness of the meet again had faded Ali told Littlefoot and Petrie what she had told Cera the day before. She hadn't mentioned Cera self when Petrie shouted: "I must tell the others you're here!" He swung himself into the air and flew away before Littlefoot or Ali could keep him back. "Wait, Petrie!" Ali shouted after him, but he was already out of hearing. For a moment he had forgotten Cera entirely. Ali looked after him shaking her head. Then she turned to Littlefoot: "Ducky and Spike are here to aren't they?" "Yes", answered Littlefoot, who was a bit surprised by Ali's lack of surprise about the presence of himself and the others, "And I believe it's my turn to tell you why we're here. Maybe you can even help us" "I think so. Shall I bring you to Cera?" "What?! You've seen Cera? She is here? Is she well?" Ali couldn't suppress a grin; she really hadn't erred about Littlefoot. His apprehension could be read from his face, so she hurried to calm him: "She is well" "Where is she?" "I'll lead you to her. Come on!" Ali set in motion and Littlefoot followed her. Ali had forgotten her hurry; Littlefoot's and the other's presence had wiped it out of her mind completely. "I've brought Cera to a hiding place at the other end of the valley, since she didn't want to be discovered by the other members of my herd." "Maybe Ducky and Spike have already found her then", Littlefoot said, "They're searching on the other side of the river" "I don't believe they've found her yet. The hiding place is really sheltering. Cera will be very, very surprised to see you", Ali said grinning thinking of her dissent with Cera, if Littlefoot and the others would come, the eve before. First a moment later Ali realized what she had just said and she would have liked best to bit on her tongue. Littlefoot's joy seemed vanish immediately and his face became very sad when he asked: "Do you really believe that she'll be so surprised? And don't you believe that she'll show herself to Ducky and Spike?" Ali sighed. She had prattled away thoughtlessly and grieved Littlefoot very much. "She'll be far more happy than surprised to see you!" Ali noticed relieved that something similar to a smile came to Littlefoot's face. "What has Cera told you why she is here?" Littlefoot asked suddenly. Ali repeated pretty literally what Cera had told her about the quarrel the last evening. When she had finished Littlefoot nodded without batting an eye. He looked very earnest again and Ali considered how to change the subject to divert Littlefoot's thoughts. Then she remembered what would cheer Littlefoot up. "We are going to leave this valley tomorrow. Give a guess what's our next purpose!" Littlefoot stopped and looked at Ali with wide eyes. The good news must have been readable from her face although she had tried not to beam with joy. "The Great Valley?!" Littlefoot burst out the face turning radiant with joy. Ali nodded and her smiling became broader. "Hoorah!" Littlefoot cheered so loudly that Ali feared the others from her herd could hear it. But then she thought about it; now it seemed to be all the same after all since Littlefoot and the others would certainly join the herd for their return to the Great Valley. "And how long are you going to stay?" "Dunno", answered Ali. Suddenly Littlefoot frowned a bit and asked Ali: "Why are you actually leaving this valley already tomorrow? You've told that the herd has arrived here but the day before yesterday, haven't you?" Ali nodded. "It's because we found tracks of a sharptooth and..." "What, here? And what if Ducky, Spike, Petrie or Cera run into it?" Ali frightened too: "Cera would see the sharptooth in time from her hiding place and take shelter. But the others... Come on Littlefoot!" And Ali started to run through the shallow of the lake they had just reached, that the water splashed around her feet. Littlefoot followed her hastily. He had no good feeling. 


	19. The sharptooth

Chapter XVIII  
The sharptooth  
  
Ducky and Spike had advanced a considerable distance into the forest on the other side of the river. Again and again they had to climb up or jump down plateaus. Ducky stood tall upright upon Spike's back looking out for Cera. But although she craned her neck as high as she could she was unable to see much further than to the next brushwood. "Cera? Cera, where are you? Come out!" she called, but she didn't get an answer. Suddenly Spike stopped. He had such an uneasy feeling, like a presentiment and he uttered some jumpy sounds. "What's the matter Spiky?" Ducky asked. And the next moment she felt something too. A slightly tremor ran through the ground, but it was strong enough that she could feel it distinctly, even on Spike's back. The next moment she heard a low, dull rumbling. "An earthshake!" whispered Ducky terrified stooping behind one of Spike's little backplates and observing the quivering leafs on the trees. But Spike turned his face to her and shook his head very slightly. Now Ducky noticed too that the tremors were to periodically and to slightly to be the result of an earthquake and the rumbling was actually a snarling and it didn't arose from the earth. Suddenly a husky spitting and roaring could be heard. Ducky ducked deeper behind the backplate; now she knew what it was. The next moment it stood in front of them. With one leap from the next plateau it has landed directly ahead of them, causing a tremor that was nearby it absolutely comparable with one an earthquake would have caused. Spike trembled all over with horror when he rose his head letting his look rambling from the claw armed feet up to the head and the muzzle with the big, sharp teeth. The sight had paralysed him with frighten. He wanted to run away, but his legs didn't obeyed to his will. Now the sharptooth threw back his head into his nape uttering a terrible, atrocious, deafening howl of triumph. But there was something else. Spike was nearly unable to hear it because of the uproar the sharptooth made. Somebody else cried at the top of her voice and it was a horror cry full of mortal fear. It was Ducky on his back. Maybe it was this knowledge that that took away the sinisterly paralyzation from Spike that had impeded Spike from running away. It was already too late to turn round, so Spike simply ran off, between through the sharptooth's legs. Less than a second later the sharptooth's head twitched down. It crushed deep in the ground leaving a big absorption. The sharptooth needed some seconds to comprehend that its victims had escaped its first attack. It rose to full high snarling fury and spitting out the blades of grass, it got into it's mouth during it's unintentionally bite in the dust, disgusted. Then it jerked round to pursuit its victims that had won a short lead in the meantime.  
  
Ducky peeped over Spike's backplates casting a look back. When she saw the sharptooth she yelled a cry of anguish and covered back down behind the backplates that didn't were a real protection, but gave nevertheless a feeling of safety. First they had been able to enlarge their distance to the sharptooth, but now it has started to pursuit and came nearer with every step. Spike ran as fast as he could between compact standing trees to aggravate the sharptooth's pursuit as much as possible. But this seemed to run over the trees justly. It cracked those which stood in its way aside easily and ran on. The lead of Ducky and Spike decreased more and more. They looked out for a shelter vainly; they didn't found anything. 


	20. Into the trap

Chapter XIX  
Into the trap  
  
Petrie flew jumpily to and fro between the trees. Again and again he called for Ducky and Spike. "Ducky! Spike! Where you are?" He had just believed to hear a bass grumbling and a screaming. Maybe he had erred, he had perceived it very indistinctly, but nevertheless it was occasion enough to become nervous and to hurry up with the search for Ducky and Spike. There! A husky bellow and the splintering of wood could be heard. Every error debarred! The causer of the din had to be pretty nearby and Petrie didn't doubt anymore that it was a sharptooth. First Petrie wanted to turn round and fly back to Littlefoot and Ali, but than he occurred Ducky and Spike. The both were probably in big troubles. Petrie indeed didn't know what he could do to help the both in an emergency, but what he knew was that he wouldn't be able to bear the conceivability to do nothing. Maybe Ducky and Spike hadn't even noticed the sharptooth, (it was not sure that they had screamed the scream he believed had heard) than he could warn them. Moreover it was senseless to fly back since Littlefoot and Ali would have certainly left the place where he had left them in the meantime. Petrie flew high between the tree's tops to stay out of the sharptooth range. Then he saw it. It was a very big sharptooth. Petrie flew carefully another little bit higher although the sharptooth was to far away to be a danger for him at the moment. It seemed to pursue somebody for it ran treescracking as fast as it could changing the direction now and then. Petrie anticipated whom the sharptooth pursued, but he had to make sure about that. Petrie approached hesitating till he saw his fears confirmed. The persecuted were Ducky and Spike. Petrie still didn't know what to do, but flapped after them hasty. Suddenly the forest cleared opening the view on a narrow stripe of grass that bordered to the walls of rocks that surrounded the valley. Petrie noticed that Spike with Ducky on his back, who had just appeared out of the forest, suddenly started to ran faster towards the walls of rocks, just as if he had spotted the rescue. Petrie recognised terrified Spike's purpose. Two ledges towered from the wall of rock, a small and a bigger one that sloped lightly to one side. The two ledges had probably been separated by an earthquake since only a very narrow ravine lay between them. And it was exactly the same ravine Spike headed for. The ravine was so narrow that the sharptooth wouldn't be able to traverse it, so Spike believed to be in safety there. But what Petrie could see from above, but Spike from the ground apparently not, and what had terrified Petrie, was the big boulder that blocked the ravine nearby its entrance. Petrie flew towards the ravine too now and shouted as loud as he could: "Oh Spike, stop! Hold off!" But neither Spike nor Ducky heard or saw him. They were to far away and the sharptooth that just broke forth from the forest made to much uproar to hear him and their looks were fixed upon the ravine they hoped to reach. Now, when there were no hindering trees anymore the sharptooth accelerated. It came so close to Petrie that he placed himself in safety with some strong flaps in direction of the bigger ledge, but it didn't took notice of him. It had discerned too that it victims wouldn't be able to escape anymore when they would have reached the ravine. Now Spike had arrived at the ravine and he already wanted to utter a sigh of relief, when he and Ducky noticed the boulder. Ducky shrieked and Spike jerked round, but it was to late. The sharptooth had reached the ravines entrance and uttered a howl of triumph. Spike receded as wide as possible into the ravine, but he had to comprehend that it was senseless. The boulder lay to near to the ravines entrance so there was no safe place anywhere. He didn't know what to do anymore so he let himself drop on the ground and rammed his head into the earth. Thereby Ducky tumbled down from his back and fall aside him. The sharptooth bend over them and Ducky pressed both hands in front of her eyes and waited for the end. 


	21. Hinder the sharptooth!

Chapter XX  
"Hinder the Sharptooth!"  
  
Petrie would have liked best to keep his eyes shut too when the sharptooth eyed his two victims seeming to consider which to devour first, but he couldn't do so otherwise he would have precipitated. He stared in the depth, struck with horror. "Petrie!" a well-known voice shouted. Petrie jerked round in the air and this time he really nearly fell down. At the brink of the big ledge stood a threehorn. "Cera! You here?!" in every other circumstances Petrie would have been delighted like rarely before in his life, but he couldn't be delighted while a few meters below a sharptooth considered which of his friends it should eat first. Cera had discerned the whole situation too and so she didn't dwell on any sort of salutation. "Petrie! Hinder the sharptooth! I'll try to bring Ducky and Spike out there!" she shouted. Petrie couldn't breath with fright, he forgot to flap for a moment and he nearly precipitated once more. "Hi...hind...hinder? Me all alone? Thiiiiis?" stammered Petrie with high-pitched voice. But Cera couldn't hear him anymore. She had jerked round run as fast as she could towards the descent to the dale at the end of the ravine and jumped to its ground with giant leaps using the many small ledges that towered from the wall of rock as stairs. She had been roused by distant roar a few minutes ago. She had thought of the sharptooth whose tracks Ali had mentioned immediately and run to the brink of the ledge. Shortly after she had seen Ducky, Spike and a bit aside Petrie appearing out of the forest. At the first moment she would have liked best to cheer, but she had lost her inclination to do so when the sharptooth had appeared behind her friends a moment later. She knew exactly what she had to do. The boulder that blocked the ravine had to be shattered. But if she should accomplish it at all she would need some time for do it and the sharptooth hadn't looked as if it was going to let her much time. She had ordered Petrie to hind the sharptooth, but would the tiny flyer succeed or better, would he venture to try it? It was a hard job to hinder somebody who was more than hundred times as big as oneself. Maybe I've demanded too much from him Cera thought worriedly. 


	22. Rescue operations

Chapter XXI  
Rescue operations  
  
Petrie fetched deep breath; his heart seemed to beat like a hammer. "Hinder the sharptooth! I'll try to bring Ducky and Spike out there!" Cera had said. But how should he hinder this giant monster? And how Cera wanted to bring Ducky and Spike out there? A loud howling of the sharptooth startled Petrie from his thoughts. He had no time to consider any longer since in this moment the sharptooth threw his head back into his nape being about to start his meal with Ducky. Petrie pulled on his wing close to his body and swooped headlong and nearly vertically down towards the sharptooth. Shortly before he collided on it he spread his wings again to slow down the nosedive. Petrie had aimed his dive well. He was directly in front of one of the sharptooth's eyes and pecked at it with his nib and claws. The sharptooth howled in pain so loudly that it resounded from the mountains. It struck at Petrie with one of its slender arms, but this shunned ably and began to assault the sharptooth's eye anew. Ducky looked out between two of her fingers. She had waited for the sharptooth biting at her, but nothing had happened, instead the sharptooth had started to howl loudly. Ducky recognised Petrie immediately. "Peeetriiieee!" she shouted surprised. Spike had noticed too, that anything happened and pulled his head back out of the ground. When he comprehended that Petrie provided time for them, he lifted Ducky on his back and made ready for fleeing past the sharptooth out of the ravine. But he soon gave up this plan since the sharptooth trampled around fiercely during its chase on Petrie. It would have been nearly impossible to evade its feet by leaving the ravine. So Spike chose the other way and tried to climb over the boulder that blocked the ravine. But he didn't made it since the boulder was far too big, more than the twice of his own size. Suddenly a fierce shock ran through the block, so Spike rebounded and landed ungently on his back, nearly bruising Ducky under his body.  
  
The reason for the shock was Cera. She lay on the other side of the boulder and rubbed her head. Small lighting points danced in front of her eyes and her head hurt awfully. She stared at the boulder furiously. It was more than the double of her own size and consisted of hard granite. But by exact contemplation some very thin flaws that passed through the rock were discernable now. A loud roaring on the other side of the boulder let Cera jump up. She ran a distance back into the ravine to take a new run.  
  
Petrie could see what was going on, on the other side of the boulder from above. He had understood what Cera intended and he tried to provide her the time she needed. Spike and Ducky looked at each other at sea. They had no idea what was going on, on the other side of the boulder and since they knew that they wouldn't get an answer on this question for the moment they observed the fight between Petrie and the sharptooth like under a spell. Beyond the boulder Cera pawed with one of her hooves, snorted and stormed again against it. Petrie had to shun the sharptooth's claws and teeth more and more often, what he succeeded nearly effortless for the sharptooth's motions looked idle and sluggish compared with his own. But he took only care of his enemy's claws and teeth while he tried again and again to attack its eyes. A third danger emanated from the sharptooth, strictly spoke from its nostrils. Petrie had just succeeded to evade the sharptooth's teeth by swinging himself upwards with a strong flap. But thereby he had come directly in front of his adversary's big nostrils. And just in that moment the sharptooth snorted intensely angry to have missed to catch the tiny plaguer again. For the little Petrie was the air blast he found himself in now like a violently gale. He was whirled around and struck with his head hard against one of the ravine's sidewalls. He skidded downwards it benumbed and remained lying on the ground. Ducky and Spike cried full of horror. Just in this moment another firm shock let the boulder in their back quake. Petrie blinked numbed. He looked directly in the watering eye of the sharptooth who eyed his little opponent derogatory. Petrie wanted to jump up and fly away but he was like being paralysed and saw everything as if it was a dream. Also the shouts and call backs of Ducky and Spike, the growling of the sharptooth and all the other noises he perceived only distorted as a silent singsong and as if they were far, far away. Ducky had realized in what a hopeless situation Petrie was; the sharptooth opened his mouth for the killing bite and Petrie was unable to flee. She gathered all her courage, if Petrie was unable to place in safety himself, then she had to do it! With this thought in her mind she rushed forward. Spike howled up horrified. For a very short moment the sharptooth was diverted and starred at him. But this short moment had been enough for Ducky to snatch up Petrie and to jump back. 


	23. A real threehorn

Chapter XXII  
A real threehorn  
  
On the other side of the boulder Cera came to slowly. The grumbling of the sharptooth made her remembering the whole situation. How long she might have been senseless after she had rammed on the boulder the second time? Were her friends on the other side alive at all? She thought desperately. There she heard a short cry of Ducky that made her jumping up. Because of the fierce movement Cera felt as if a dark veil would lay over her eyes. She contended against the anew setting in unconsciousness and ran back through the ravine tottering. Again small spots of dancing light appeared in front of her eyes and the color of the landscape seemed to vary. Now she had reached the starting point for her run, but she collapsed again. The "dark veil" appeared anew. Her head dinned and a knocking and shooting pain had taken possession of it. How easy it would be to give in to the unconsciousness... Pictures appeared in front of her eyes. She saw faces. Littlefoot, Petrie, Ducky, Spike, Dinah, Dana. But suddenly she saw another face, her father's. She heard a strange singsong and then she could understand her father's voice: "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope!" Cera jumped up. A real threehorn. This time these words had no negative meaning to her. The pain in her head had not at all ceased, she felt sick and dizzy, but she had to rescue her friends. She was a real threehorn! Cera rushed forth like she hadn't done in one of the previous onsets, grimly determined to clear the way for her friends. She gave a shrill whoop.  
  
Full of fright Ducky, Spike and Petrie, who still need to be supported propped by Ducky, starred at the sharptooth. They stood pressed to one of the ravine's sidewalls. After Ducky had rescued Petrie the sharptooth had bitten into the ground and thereafter it had hit its head repeatedly against the wall of rock furiously. But the time they had won by that had only been a reprieve. The sharptooth stood in front of them being about to pounce upon them when a piercing whoop cut through the air. Even the sharptooth hesitated and Ducky and Spike opened their eyes wide; they knew that whoop. "Cera?!" Ducky mumbled astonished. The boulder that had blocked the ravine exploded with a bursting bang to hundreds of fragments. Spike didn't consider what had happened. He snatched up Ducky and Petrie carefully and disappeared in the cloud of dust the bursting boulder had left. The sharptooth's bite came a fraction of a second to late. Spike traversed the ravine as fast as he, could holding Ducky and Petrie carefully with his teeth. He saw somebody's shape running aside himself out of the angle of an eye. Spike had run only a short distance when he reached a tiny dale at the end of the ravine, but it had seemed to him like a very long stretch. He looked back worried as if he feared that the sharptooth could follow them. From the ravine's entrance he could hear a grating that thrilled him to the marrow. Obviously the sharptooth had tried to pierce its teeth into the rock, full of fury and disappointment that it's victims had escaped after all. Then Spike looked at their deliverer. "Cera!" the word slipped out him whereby he let Ducky and Petrie drop. The next instant he noticed that he had just spoken the second time in his life. Ducky and Petrie who stood up, rubbing their bottoms on which they had landed ungently after Spike had let them drop, seemed to be unable to decide whereof they should be happy about first. With some quick leaps Ducky was by Cera and embraced her as far as it was possible despite their different proportions. Petrie, who had recuperated to a certain extend, did the same. Spike tried to speak another word, but he brought nothing out except his usual sounds. He gave up his tries and instead of being disappointed he jumped over to Cera too and drove his tongue through her face several times. Cera was still upset and even a bit confused. "Spike, you've spoken! Ducky! Petrie! What are you doing here?" she mumbled weakly. Ducky jumped joyfully from one foot to the other shouting with feigned outrage: "What shall that mean? What are you doing here?" Cera kept silent embarrassed. The question was very painfully to her, but for her relief the others didn't seem to expect an answer, since Petrie shouted flying a sequence of loops: "We want to fetch you back! What you've thought?" First time a broad grinning appeared on Ceras face and since she occurred nothing more inventively she repeated:  
  
"Spike! You've spoken!" Ducky chattered happily her "Yep, yep, yep!" afterwards while she ran over to her "little brother" and hugged him as far as she could. Maybe he'll be able to speak like us. Sometime...", Cera muttered dreamy. Ducky returned to Cera, climbed on her back and sat down behind her napeshield. "He has spoken only one time till now. You remember?" asked Petrie landing aside Ducky. During their first adventure with Ali Spike had spoken the first and so far only time. The thought of then let Petrie occur: "Oh! Cera! Ducky! Spike! Me have met somebody here..." "I believe to know who you mean Petrie!" Cera interrupted him. The same moment the thought of Ali let Cera remember to Littlefoot. He wasn't here. Cera's gladness came to an abrupt end. She bounced her head a bit and asked faintly: "You've come alone, haven't you?" Ducky and Petrie who were, just like Spike, dismayed about Cera's sudden sorrow were just about to make a hasty explanation for Littlefoot's absence when they were startled up by loud roar and terrified screaming. 


	24. Cera versus sharptooth

Chapter XXIII  
Cera versus a sharptooth  
  
A few minutes ago Ali and Littlefoot had reached the ledge on which Ali had left Cera the eve. They were both very nervous because underway they had heard, muffled by the forest, roaring like from a sharptooth and, more silent, screams. When they reached the base of the ledge Ali had looked around carefully. But they hadn't seen a sharptooth anywhere. If they had known that the sharptooth was only a short distance away at the entrance of the ravine that separated the two ledges they would have fled immediately. But they neared the ledge from the side so the sharptooth was out of sight for them, sheltered by the ledge itself. Neither they heard it since it had just calmed down of its disappointment. So Littlefoot and Ali climbed upon the ledge hastily. "Where is she?" asked Littlefoot worried when they didn't come upon Cera at the top. "Cera?" Ali asked frowning but she didn't get an answer. "You believe she has hidden?" Littlefoot asked grievingly. Ali shook her head. "But where is she then?" Littlefoot asked faltering, thinking of the roars they had heard. Ali bit herself on the lower lip. "Maybe she went down to drink at the river", she said after a moment. Littlefoot swallowed and dared to speak out what they both thought: "Do you believe she has ran into the sharptooth?" Ali looked at him as if he had done something repugnant by asking that. After all she nodded: "Maybe, dunno" Littlefoot bowed his head and Ali noticed that he was mumbling something like: "I've not even reconciliated with her. And now..." "Don't speak on! We have no idea what has happened! But at all events we have to warn the others! Spike, Ducky and Petrie are in the forest too!" Littlefoot looked up again and nodded. For Ali's consternation every color seemed to have vanished from his face. Suddenly a shadow grew over them and they felt a slight tremor of the ground. They looked back surprised. A loud roaring cut through the air. On the slant that led down to the valley stood the sharptooth. They screamed terrified.  
  
"Ali!" Cera cried frightened. "Littlefoot!" Petrie and Ducky shouted like out of one mouth in the same moment while Spike looked up to the top summit of the big ledge from which the screams had come. "Ali?" Ducky asked surprised and Spike looked at Cera and Petrie, who seemed not as surprised, with an asking look. "Littlefoot?" asked Cera; her eyes seemed to flash and a manic gleaming appeared in her eyes while her whole face seemed to become radiant with joy. A new roaring of the sharptooth let everybody recognise that there was no time left for long explanations. "Littlefoot!" shouted Cera, she snorted and began as fast as possible to jump up the small ledges that towered from the dale's wall. The movement came so suddenly that Petrie lost his balance and tumbled down from Cera's back. A short distance over the ground he could pull out of his fall, by flapping fiercely. Also Ducky had to clamber cling to Cera's napeshield as fierce as she could not to fall down like Petrie. Spike followed Cera with long leaps unable to catch up with her. "Wait for Petrie!" the tiny flyer cried and began to flap hastily behind the others of whom nobody thought of waiting for him.  
  
The sharptooth uttered a howl of triumph. After it's first three victims had escaped it so unexpected the two young longnecks in front of it seemed to be a save booty. After it had vainly tried to follow its victims through the ravine it had suddenly heard silent noises from the top of the bigger ledge. It had quietly sneaked around the ledge to the side that sloped gently and had climbed up. Like on the silver salver it had the longnecks in front now. Littlefoot stared at the sharptooth trembling and with open mouth, unable to move; it eyed them seemingly derogatory. Littlefoot stood upright on his hind legs leaned upon a boulder that lay nearby the brink of the ledge. Ali lay aside him, closed her eyes as fierce as possible and covered her head additionally with her forelegs. Only a wonder could rescue them, Littlefoot thought; but wonders were rarely. An enraged whoop let Littlefoot jerk. Surprised and scared he looked in the direction from where it came. Only a short distance away, close to the wall of rock somebody had appeared. In the shadow of the wall of rock Littlefoot recognised a threehorn distinctly. The threehorn snorted and pawed with one hoof, then it rushed forward uttering a whoop again. "Cera!" Littlefoot shouted in an indescribable mix of joy and horror. Startled up by the whoop and Littlefoot's shout Ali cast a careful look past her hooves. At First she saw nothing but the sharptooth. The view let her blood froze. It stood close in front of Littlefoot and herself. Directly aside it was the edge of the ledge where it sloped vertically and far below was the meadow. The next instant Ali noticed that Littlefoot starred thunderstruck in the opposite direction. And then Ali saw Cera too. She rushed against the sharptooth with an amazing speed. Spike and Petrie appeared nearby the wall of rock too in that instant, but where was Ducky?  
  
Ducky risked a careful look over Cera's napeshield to which she clung not to fall down Cera's back. A strong head wind caused by Cera's high speed forced Ducky to narrow her eyes to slits. When her eyes had accustomed to it Ducky saw the giant shape of the sharptooth that had nearly phagocytized herself and the others before. Ducky shrieked and let herself drop behind the covering napeshield again. It seemed to Cera as if the time would pass slower than usual. Although she ran as fast as she could it seemed to her as if she didn't get on. Her eyes were fixed upon the sharptooth. Out of their angles she saw Ali and Littlefoot. And she heard Ducky's shrieking from her back as if she was far, far away. "Jump off, Ducky!" she shouted. But Ducky clung to Cera's napeshield frantically. "I can't! It's to fast; far to fast!" Ducky's answer pierced only unintelligible into Cera's ears. Cera didn't devote herself to any illusions. She knew that she had no chance against the sharptooth that seemed to grow the nearer she came to it. The sharptooth didn't seem to have noted her at least it didn't pay attention to her. Patently it had only eyes and ears for Ali and Littlefoot. Cera felt as if she would ran against the boulder in the ravine again. But the boulder hadn't had claws, teeth and the intention to kill. Again she recognised her father's face and his words "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope!" were audible. But suddenly she saw something completely different. She saw Littlefoot storming towards her furiously. She saw herself evading and she saw how she had rammed her head into his flank so he had tumbled down the slope in the Great Valley. Like a lightning the knowledge flashed through her mind that she would have to do just the same with the sharptooth. It stood close to the brink of the ledge. If she would succeed to push one of its feet over the brink the sharptooth would loose its balance and fall down. Cera corrected her course a little bit so she would hit the sharptooth left foot. Then came the impact. Cera had hit the sharptooth's left foot, the foot that stood directly aside the brink, like she had intended. The foot seemed to be as inflexible as the boulder, but then Cera felt how the foot, that was as big as she skidded centimeter by centimeter towards the abyss. Cera had a lot of swing left from her run and she hopped that it was enough. If it wasn't... The sharptooth howled up with pain when Cera's head with the short dull horn rammed against its foot. It cast an angry look at the threehorn that was tiny compared with it and prepared for devouring it with one single bit. But in the same instant the sharptooth felt that it lost the halt below it's left foot. It recognised the intention of the threehorn that still leaned firmly against its foot. But it was to late for the sharptooth. The edge of the ledge couldn't withstand the weight any longer. The rock crumbled and the sharptooth toppled helpless over the brink into the deep. It's howling was only drown out by the two voice shriek of Ducky and Cera when Cera herself lost her balance and tumbled over the brink behind the sharptooth. A tremor could be felt when the sharptooth impacted down on the meadow. Then it became silent. 


	25. Anew rescue operations

Chapter XXIV  
Anew rescue operations  
  
"Cera! Ducky!" cried Petrie who regained his voice first. Spike ran over to the brink, but before he reached it he slowed down. His last steps were hesitatingly and he risked only a short glimpse down over the brink. He saw nothing but the sharptooth lying deep down on the ground and he didn't want to see anything more. He fall back some steps and shivered. The others who had followed and nearly caught up with him stopped. Some seconds of silence passed, seconds in which everybody tried to understand what had happened. It was Spike who broke the silence with a sob. He lay sprawling and started to weep. Petrie landed aside him and it looked more like a fall than a landing. He snuggled close to Spike's cheek. Littlefoot's jaw had sagged down and shivered involuntary. Endless time seemed to pass till he woke from his numbness and shut his mouth solidly to stop his jaw shivering, but the countenance of unutterable horror didn't disappear from his face. He felt guilty for what had happened and didn't dare to lay aside Spike and Petrie, so he dragged along into the shadow of a low tree let himself collapse and covered his head with his forefeet. Ali looked from one to the next out of watering eyes. She hadn't known Cera and Ducky approx as well as the others but in that instant it made no difference. No friend she had in the herd was so close connected with her like her five friends from the Great Valley. It dismayed Ali that Littlefoot didn't join Spike and Petrie; she knew exactly what he felt and thought. She plodded over to him and nudged him gently. Littlefoot looked up. Spike raised his head, looked over to Littlefoot and uttered a howl which meaning was unmistaken. But it was all the same to Littlefoot. The others might think whatever they want, but in his own opinion all this was his fault. He wanted to cover his head again when a cry startled them. "Heeelp!" everybody jumped up. "That was Ducky!" shouted Ali and her face changed entirely. "But that's impossible! They can't have survived that fall!" shouted Littlefoot, but nevertheless he ran towards the brink immediately. But Petrie swung up into the air and reached the abyss before Littlefoot whistling: "Maybe they are fallen not at all!" "You are right Petrie!" called Littlefoot when he reached the edge followed by Ali. "Me see them! Petrie sees them!" gasped Petrie. Spike huddled past Ali and looked over the brink again. But this time he bent forward and cast more than a short glimpse. The last time he hadn't looked carefully afraid of seeing something he didn't want to see. Some meters below a dried up bough towered from the rock. Cera hung at it holding it with her teeth and waving her forelegs panicky around in the air trying to find hold anywhere. She rolled her eyes that nearly only their white part was visibly. Ducky had climbed over Cera's napeshield and stood on her face now, waving relieved when she saw the others appearing above at the brink. The bough made not a very substantial impression. It bent deeply down under Cera's and Ducky's weight and it cracked sinisterly. "We must pull them up! Quick!" shouted Littlefoot and then he addressed Cera: "Stop waving! Or the bough will brake!" Of course Cera could neither give an answer nor she could nod but her eyes calmed. "Hold me, Littlefoot!" shouted Ali and let herself skidding over the edge so suddenly that Littlefoot caught her in the very last moment. But Ali had to be let deep down to reach Cera and the weight was hard to bear. Littlefoot was forced to hang his forelegs over the edge and to bend his head down as wide as he could, to enable Ali to forereach Cera. Spike didn't need any request to hold Littlefoot and Petrie grabbed his tail and pulled as strong as he could, certainly without any result. When Ali's head reached Cera's Ducky jumped over and started to climb up Ali's nape; this tickled Ali, but she gritted her teeth while Ducky made her way over her back and tail over to Littlefoot. Cera wrapped her forelegs around Ali's neck and it was this motion that let the bough brake with a dry crack. Ali shrieked on the one hand because of the fright on the other hand because Littlefoot, unable to shriek had gritted his teeth even more solid around her tail to prevent her fall. Cera gritted her teeth too, around the piece of bough that had reminded in her mouth while Ducky shrieked like Ali. She had lost her balance because of the jerk that ran through Littlefoot's neck when the bough had broken. Ducky staggered but suddenly Petrie, who had recognized how useless it was to pull on Spike's tail, grabbed her shoulders and helped her to reobtain her balance and to climb in safety. Littlefoot was unable to move back as long as his forelegs hang over the edge. Only Spike would have been able to pull the others back. The help of Ducky and Petrie was well meant but nearly useless. "Now Spike!" "Pull!" "Go on!" Ali, Ducky and Petrie shouted snafu. But Cera's, Ali's and a part of Littlefoot's weight pulled Spike nearer and nearer towards the edge and Littlefoot skidded over it further and further. Spike propped against the pull so firmly that his feet left deep grooves in the earth that covered the ledge. Spike's forefeet found a solid resistance so suddenly that his knees bend in and he nearly fall. Spike understood immediately. His feet had hit upon a peak that had been covered by the earth. He propped against the hold as fiercely as he could and came to a standstill. Cera noticed with relief that she had stopped to sink down deeper. She rolled her eyes and looked down to the ground where the sharptooth lay. She became dizzy immediately and looked back into Ali's face that turned red from the hanging headlong. Spike felt remembered to the ravine of the day before. But now Littlefoot and he had changed the rolls and he had to hold three big dinosaurs instead of one and two who nearly didn't weight with. At least Littlefoot didn't weight with completely too because he was still partly on the ledge and tried to support Spike with his hind legs. Sweat was running down Spikes forehead. Suddenly Ducky stood in front of him. She looked in his eyes steadily and then she said in a voice that let no doubts possible that she was convinced of what she said: "Spiky! You'll make it little brother!" Petrie appeared behind Ducky and nodded violently. It was the best support they could have conferred upon Spike. Carefully of not letting Littlefoot's tail loose Spike smiled and then he threw his weight against the pull. With one strong wrench he pulled Littlefoot over the edge. When Littlefoot felt solid ground below his fore legs he stemmed against the pull immediately as vigorous as he could. Littlefoot soon found a save foothold in the grooves Spike's feet had left. Together Spike and Littlefoot managed to pull up Ali. Three of them had no really problem to pull up the fourth. Cera looked from one to the next when she stood on the ledge with trembling knees. Some seconds passed till she noticed that she still hold a piece of the bough between her teeth. Cera spitted it out and thereby she noticed that it had splintered to splinters by her biting. Cera's lower jaw shivered when it hadn't to bite anymore so suddenly. She felt very nervous. Everybody starred at her. She hated it. Cera considered what to say but she wasn't in fettle to say anything. For her relief Spike turned round to get some treestars from the nearby trees. The others seemed to need to relax too. There would be still enough time to speak later. Maybe these thoughts had been readable from Cera's eyes, at all events Ducky and Petrie turned round to follow Spike and after short hesitating Ali followed them too. Littlefoot and Cera changed a look. Then Littlefoot nodded and went in the tracks of the others. For a moment Cera was unsure how to interpret that, but then she went over to the trees too. She wasn't hungry, only thirsty, but the tree's shadows gave a convenient place to lie down and to doze a bit. 


	26. Ambush

Chapter XXV  
Ambush  
  
Cera blinked drowsy and jumped up the next moment. She had fallen asleep although this hadn't been her intention. She was a bit embarrassed, but her embarrassment diminished when she saw that she was not the only who had fallen asleep. Spike still snorted and Littlefoot was sleeping too. Ali looked as if she had awaked a short while ago. Only Petrie and Ducky who sat in the shadow of a tree seemed to be lively for a longer while. A look up to the sky let Cera recognize that the bright circle hadn't covered a long distance so it was not so much time that had passed. There Littlefoot opened his eyes. Petrie and Ducky stood up at once. Ducky awoke Spike and amazingly he woke up immediately this time. Littlefoot raised his head and smiled a little bit tormented when he noticed that everybody cast worried looks at him. Cera was delighted because this smiling was the first mien of Littlefoot that was joyous to a certain extend, she saw for a long while. Then Littlefoot's look met Cera's and it became more earnest again. Cera tried vainly to interpret that look. It was earnest, but nut hostile like it had been in the Great Valley. Surprise and relief were in this look and many other things Cera couldn't identify. What should she do, and what would Littlefoot do now? Petrie, Ducky, Spike and Ali looked at them expectantly. They both tried to find the right words and stepped uneasily from one foot on the other. Eventually Littlefoot made the beginning; without really noticing it he mumbled: "The sharptooth, it hadn't eaten you?" "No, of course not. Otherwise I wouldn't be here, would I?" Cera who hadn't understood the sense of Littlefoot's question answered. She couldn't know that Littlefoot and Ali had already taken her for dead. "You've saved us. Thanks", Littlefoot said a bit sheepishly. Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Ali changed a helpless look. Littlefoot and Cera still spoke very reserved, as if they had never seen each other before. And this wouldn't change as long as none of them did the first step to reconciliate. Cera wasn't pleased with the trend of this first conversation with Littlefoot since a long time ago too. "Yes...", she nearly whispered it. And then she was determined to break the thin ice-sheet that seemed to exist between her and Littlefoot. "Littlefoot, I'm...", she hesitated faltered. In Littlefoot's and the other's faces appeared horror and she felt the slightly tremors running through the ground. "Oh no!" she shouted. She didn't need to turn round and she didn't need to hear the roar of rage that sounded in the next instant to know that the sharptooth was behind her. None of them had thought of that the fall hadn't been approximately as fatal for the big sharptooth as it would have been for one them. It had only been unconsciously for some time and now it stormed up the slope much the more furiously. "Come on! Follow me!" cried Cera and cantered in direction of the descent to the dale; the others followed her at once. "I should have thought of that before!" shouted Ali a bit ashamed while she followed Cera. "When we run through the ravine we can probably leave it behind!" Cera shouted. Ali frightened as if she had just remembered something terrible. "But Cera the ravine is blocked! There is a boulder! We can't go by it!" Ali shouted after Cera. "Boulder does not lie there anymore!" croaked Petrie who had sat down on Spike's back. "Oh no, no, no, no, no!" Ducky who had jumped on Spike's back too corroborated Petrie's words hasty. Ali stopped and looked at Ducky and Petrie surprised when Spike overtook her. But the view of the approaching sharptooth let her come to the conclusion that there was no time for explanations. Ali simply had to believe the others. She followed Cera and Littlefoot, who ran close behind her, hasty overtaking Spike again.  
  
The sharptooth pursued its victims as fast as it could, but nevertheless they would reach the dale at the end of the ravine before it would be able to catch up with them. And then they would escape through the not anymore blocked ravine through which it wouldn't be able to follow them. It was in the mood to weep when it saw the spikedtail with the flyer and the swimmer on it's back who had been the hindmost of it's victims, disappeared at the descend to the dale. But instead of weeping the sharptooth considered hasty. None of its victims could see it now. They would flee panicky through the ravine and if it would be able to be at the ravine's entrance first and cut the leafeaters way they would probably bump into it. With one leap the sharptooth jumped from the ledge. This time it landed safety on it's feet and went almost leisurely over to the ravine's entrance where it would waylay the leafeaters.  
  
One by one Cera, Littlefoot and Ali followed by Spike with Ducky and Petrie on his back climbed down the wall of rock, jumping from one ledge to the next lower one. But suddenly Spike lost his balance skidded of and fell down. Petrie swung himself from Spike's back up into the air while Ducky shrieked and ducked behind Spike's backplates. Spike couldn't brake and so he dragged Ali, Littlefoot and Cera along with in his fall. Wedged to each other they landed on the dale's ground ungently. Ali managed to steady her first. She jumped up and ran on towards the ravine shouting, "We must reach the herd! There we'll be in safety! It's our only chance!" over her shoulder. Petrie flapped behind her and Spike with Ducky on his back followed her too after he had got up. Littlefoot remained behind staring frightened at Cera. The others hadn't even noticed it, but she had knocked her head against a rock during the fall. Cera had not at least today demonstrated that her head was able to sustain a lot, but maybe it was the unexpectedness of the last knock that made it serious. At all events Cera seemed to be very bemused. "Cera, stand up! We must get away here!" Littlefoot shouted and bumped her slightly with his head. Cera looked at him disconcerted. "Come on! We must get away here!" Littlefoot shouted again and for his relief Cera stood up on shaky legs and set in motion towards the ravine. He urged her to a higher speed. "Come on! We must hurry up!"  
  
The sharptooth could hardly suppress an angry howling. It hadn't arrived at the ravine's entrance when it saw one longneck appearing out of it. Shortly behind flapped the flyer and the spikedtail with the swimmer sitting on its back followed close behind. They didn't seem to have noticed it. In the first instant the sharptooth wanted to pursue those leafeaters but then it remembered that there had to be another longneck and the threehorn. They would be enough to made a good snack. Moreover the sharptooth drove at the little threehorn that had dared to attack it. It took position aside the ravine, invisible for everybody who was in the ravine, but ready to pounce upon everybody who left it's cover.  
  
Ali had arrived at the forest's border and halted to let her friends catch up with her. She twitched when she saw the sharptooth standing aside the ravine. Till now she hadn't even noticed it. What a luck that Spike had "accelerated" their descent, maybe they would have bumped into the sharptooth otherwise. But why didn't it pursue them? Hadn't it noted them either? Just that moment Petrie and Spike with Ducky caught up with her. But Cera and Littlefoot weren't along with them! Suddenly Ali felt very sick and she was unable to breath for some seconds. "Littlefoot! Cera!" she urged out. Spike howled up when he noticed Littlefoot's and Cera's lacking too. Ducky on his back became very pale and she clung to one of Spike's backplates so firmly that her knuckles bulged. Petrie starred at the lurking sharptooth. "Me must warn them!" he gasped, and flew back towards the ravine like a dart. 


	27. Narrow escape

Chapter XXVI  
Narrow escape  
  
Littlefoot turned, followed by Cera, around a slight smooth corner in the ravine and saw its entrance now. In the cut of landscape they could see between the walls of rock they saw Spike and Ali's shape and when they looked carefully they could even recognize Ducky on Spike's back. Petrie was not in sight. He was probably flapping anywhere in the air. "See! They are waiting for us. That means no danger at the moment", Littlefoot said to Cera who had recovered her senses completely in the meantime. He slowed down a bit and smiled at her optimistically. She smiled back and slowed down too. None of them anticipated the deadly danger that lurked aside the ravine's entrance.  
  
Petrie saw Littlefoot and Cera appearing at the entrance of the ravine and saw that he would come to late to prevent anything. And he did the only thing he could do. He cried at the top of his voice: "Littlefoot! Cera! The sharptooth! Run away!" Littlefoot and Cera neither heard his warning nor they could understand Ducky and Ali's calls from the border of the forest. They continued their way unperturbed and reached the end of the ravine. But somebody else had heard Petrie's warning, the sharptooth. It looked up abruptly and identified Petrie as the irksome plaguer that had already spoiled it one meal and that had ill-treated its eyes. The sharptooth was distracted for only a second, but it was just this second when Littlefoot and Cera came out of the ravine and saw the sharptooth. Both shrieked terrified and unfortunately called the sharptooth's attention back on them. The sharptooth's head twitched down and it's teeth bored into the ground. In the very last instant Littlefoot and Cera had leaped forward and evaded the bite by this. As fast as they could they ran over to the border of the forest where Ali, Spike and Ducky waited for them. Petrie flapped aside Cera and Littlefoot. Some seconds passed till the sharptooth understood that it's victims had escaped it again. It were seconds in which Littlefoot, Cera and Petrie could win a precious lead. But when the sharptooth began with the pursuit furiously the lead diminished very fast and when Petrie, Littlefoot and Cera arrived by Ali, Spike and Ducky only a few steps of the sharptooth sundered it from them. "Follow me! Come on! We must reach the herd!" Ali shouted, turned round and ran into the forest. The others followed her immediately. The moment after they heard a loud cracking and splintering that let them know that the sharptooth had reached the forest too now. 


	28. Ducky gets lost

Chapter XXVII  
Ducky gets lost  
  
Ali ran at the head ahead before; close behind her ran Littlefoot followed by Cera on whose head Petrie had landed. The last one was Spike who troubled not to fall behind. Ducky on his back kept her eyes upon the sharptooth behind them. Ali led the others towards the river aggravating the pursuit for the sharptooth as much as possible by using the terrain. Her mother and the other longnecks of the herd would certainly already search for her. Ali tried not to think of the anger she would get from the grownups. At the moment there was enough other trouble. She chose a way between very big trees that were too strong to be cracked by the sharptooth. Especially the many plateaus offered possibilities to disappear from the sharptooth's sight at least temporary. Ducky assass till isfied that the distance to the sharptooth became longer and longer. She was so busy with observing the sharptooth that she forgot to cling firmly to Spike's backplates and she didn't saw that Ali jumped on a higher plateau. Littlefoot and Cera followed her and then Spike jumped too. The sudden and unexpected jerk let Ducky lose her balance and fell from Spike's back. Immediately she jumped up and called for Spike: "Spiky! Stop little brother! Wait for me!" But Spike hadn't noticed anything. He was far to engage not to be left behind by the others. He had followed them and was already to far away to hear Ducky. She had to accept that she was dependant on herself now. The steps of the sharptooth that let the earth quake came nearer and nearer so she had to continue the flight. Normally she wasn't much slower then her friends, but the plateaus were a real hinderance for her. With a short arm stretch she managed to come upon the next plateau where she found the other's tracks and she followed them at once. The sharptooth had no sharp sight and its eyes were moreover pretty ill treated by Petrie, but it heard and smelled Ducky. It scented and pursued her purposive. It knew that its victim had hardly a chance to escape so it allowed itself to slow down a little bit. Ducky felt her strengths dwindling fast.  
  
Ali, Littlefoot, Cera, Petrie and Spike had reached the river in the meanwhile. They were at the shore of the shallow lake were Cera and Ali had met the day before. Ali stopped and the others matched her. They listened for a moment. The roaring of the sharptooth was audible only very silent quietly. "I think we can repose for an instant", Ali said finally. Spike deposited with a pleased sigh. He needed a break. Littlefoot, Cera and Ali herself breathed heavily too and Cera went over to the watermark to drink extensively. She had been very thirsty since she hadn't drank anything since the meeting with Ali the eve. After a short while said Ali: "We shouldn't waste to much time. We're not in safety yet. I think we should wade a distance up stream in the river before traversing it, therewith the sharptooth loses our tracks. I don't want to lead it directly to the herd." Littlefoot and Cera nodded silently. There was the roaring of the sharptooth again but this time it was far louder and sounded pretty near. The rest had lasted to long. They all jumped up. "We must get away her! It is very near already!" shouted Littlefoot. They just wanted to run of when Petrie gasped suddenly: "Ducky!" he starred at Spike. "Where she is?" Spike spun around several times and uttered some horrified noises. Littlefoot, Cera and Ali changed dismayed looks and began to call for Ducky. The sharptooth's roaring sounded again it has certainly heard their calling. It has come even nearer and they could already feel the tremors caused by it's steps. "We must find her!" called Littlefoot. "We must go back!" Their nervousness became more and more panic. "Maybe she has hidden in the forest", said Cera. "I hope so. If she hasn't...", Ali never finished the sentence. Suddenly wood splintered and the sharptooth broke forth out of the forest. Now they had no choice anymore, they had to flee. 


	29. Come on! Come on! Come on!

Chapter XXVIII  
"Come on, come on, come on!"  
  
Ducky was nearly at the end of her strength when she suddenly scented something that could promise the rescue; water! As a swimmer Ducky could move very fast in the water and plunge so the sharptooth wouldn't be able to scent her anymore. In the meanwhile it had nearly caught up with Ducky although it went nearly ambling not to overstrain itself. Suddenly she heard voices calling her name, her friends! But she was far too much engaged with running to answer. The sharptooth had heard the callings too and seemed to have come to the resolution to put an end to the hunt. It began to run faster again. Ducky slipped through a small, but dense bush and then she saw the water ahead. It was the lake where she and Spike had separated from Littlefoot and Petrie in the morning to search for Cera. Between her and the water was a riparian stripe of grass and on this stripe were Littlefoot, Cera, Petrie, Spike and Ali running towards the lake as fast as they could. They fled before the sharptooth, whose booming she heard from behind too. With a few far reaching steps Ducky crossed the riparian stripe and reached the watermark. A very strong tremor ran through the ground and Ducky cast a glimpse over her shoulder. The sharptooth stood behind her and its head twitched down, the mouth opened wide. Ducky felt the hot breath of the sharptooth in her back when she jumped forward. The next moment she was surrounded by the pleasant coolness of the water and Ducky started to swim without cropping up. Ducky was whirled around when the sharptooth ran into the water setting it in wild movement. But she worked her way through the vortexes; when she reached the calm water she was in her element and shot towards the other shore like an arrow below the water surface.  
  
Ali had taken the lead again. She, Littlefoot, Cera and Spike ran as fast as they could through the shallow water so it splashed up around their legs. Petrie flew aside them. In the air he progressed far faster than his friends in the shallow water below. So Petrie took the time to cast a look back. The sharptooth had started to follow them through the lake. Suddenly Petrie noticed something that swam towards the other shore below the water surface at a high speed. Even before Ali the "something" reached the shore; it emerged and crawled out of the water. The "something" was Ducky. She shook of the water, fetched deep breath and jumped upon a small rock that stood in the shallow water near the shoreline. "Hurry up! Come on, come on, come on!" she shouted beckoning at the others without turning her look away from the sharptooth. "Ducky!" Ali shouted with boundless relief when she reached the shore. She stopped to let the others catch up with her. "You're back!" shouted Littlefoot and Cera lifted Ducky upon her back. Petrie landed aside Ducky. "Where you've been?" he asked but Ducky was still to exhausted to tell and the sharptooth who had traversed already the half of the lake wouldn't let them the time for a narrative. Now Spike had reached the shoreline too. When he saw Ducky he smiled in a way nobody else could smile. There was no time for more. Ali ran of again and Littlefoot, Cera and Spike didn't budge from her side. 


	30. The final fight

Chapter XXIX  
The final fight  
  
They had just reached the edge of the forest on this side of the river when Ali abruptly stopped and listened up. She had heard something that let her forget everything around and that could maybe portent the rescue. Calls and steps of longnecks! Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky didn't notice it immediately and ran on. Only when they had covered already a short distance Littlefoot noticed Ali's absence. He stopped immediately and looked back. "Run Ali! Run! The sharptooth!" cried Littlefoot. Cera and Spike had noticed Ali's disappearance too now and stopped likewise. Ali harked strained. She was sure now that she hadn't erred. At least one longneck was nearby. Littlefoot's warning cry called her back to reality. She looked back and shrieked. The sharptooth had caught up with her and prepared to recover its failed meals of the day. Without turning her look back forward Ali jumped of. But already after a few leaps she tripped over a small rock she hadn't, her look still fixed upon the sharptooth, noticed timely. She tumbled and her head hit on the ground so severely that a black veil seemed to lie over her eyes. She remained lying on her back, unable to move. "Ali, watch out!" "Stand up, stand up, stand up!" "Run Ali!" "Attention!" Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera and Petrie cried confusedly. "She can't do it! She can't hear us!" shouted Cera. "I must help her!" cried Littlefoot and ran of. "But Littlefoot, what are you doing?" Cera called after him. But Littlefoot neither seemed to hear her nor he seemed to have an idea what he was going to do. Cera jerked round to Ducky, Petrie and Spike and gasped hasty: "Alone they have not the slightest chance! Ducky, take cover anywhere, sorry you can't help us. Petrie! All we can do is trying to take Ali away from there. Can you distract the sharptooth like you've done before?" Petrie sighed. "Always Petrie must risk his neck!" Then he flew towards the sharptooth as fast as he could. Cera snorted and ran after Littlefoot. Spike shook, and uttered some pitiable noises while Ducky jumped from his back and followed the others then. Ducky stayed behind lonely.  
  
Ali opened her eyes and her look met directly the sharptooth's. It's thin arms with the apiece two horrible claws were only a tiny distance remote from her neck. She wanted to close her eyes again, but she was unable to do so. The paralysis that arose from the sharptooth's look had taken possession of her. Suddenly everything seemed to be indifferent to Ali. The world around her seemed to turn faster and faster, so she became dizzy.  
  
Littlefoot rushed towards the sharptooth as fast as he could, but he saw felt that he would come to late. And even if he should arrive by the sharptooth in time, what would he be able to do?  
  
The sharptooth jerked and howled up loudly. It thrashed with both arms around in the air to grab the tiny flyer that had pecked at its eyes with its claws and nib for the second time today. When Ali recognized what happened, all her indifference vanished at once. She wanted to jump up and run away, but the paralyzation the sharptooth's look had exerted on her hadn't vanished yet. "Ali, stand up!" called Littlefoot who had appeared aside her suddenly and bowed over her. "I can't", replied Ali. Littlefoot looked at her in surprise. "Ali! Come!" shouted Cera who had appeared here now too. "I can't move my legs!" cried Ali drowning out the roaring of the sharptooth. Dismayed Littlefoot and Cera looked at each other. Cera pointed at the sharptooth that was only a few steps away, but completely engaged with the chase on Petrie at the moment, with her head saying: "We don't know how long Petrie can keep that busy! Ali, you must try to go!" The sharptooth trampled around during its hunt in all directions. "Ali, try it! It tramples us dead otherwise! Please!" pleaded Littlefoot. Now Spike arrived at them too. He recognized the situation immediately; eventually he had been exposed to the uncanny paralyzation that arose from the sharptooth look himself today. Just the sharptooth changed its direction and stamped directly towards Ali, Littlefoot, Cera and Spike now.  
  
"We must get away from here!" cried Cera panicky. Spike nudged Ali with his head and tried to prop her up. Littlefoot recognized Spike's intention. "Cera, come on! We must try to prop Ali! Ali, do you believe that you'll be able to walk then?" "I'll try!" promised Ali. Littlefoot helped her to stand up, Cera propped her from the other side and Spike shoved her on carefully. Ali suddenly felt her legs again and began to go slowly. "Hurry away!" cried Cera. The inspiring seemed to help; Ali made still propped by the others some faster steps. Instants later one of the sharptooth's feet stamped directly at the place where they all had been moments ago leaving a deep print. Ali felt how the paralyzation the sharptooth look had exerted on her dwindled diminished with every step she made. And after a few further steps it had vanished completely. Ali jumped forth so suddenly that Spike, who shoved her on from behind, lost his balance and felt forward. Littlefoot, Spike and Cera changed a relieved look and ran after Ali then. Ali halted after a few steps and turned to the others. "Is everything alright Ali?" shouted Littlefoot already before he had caught up with Ali. "Yeah, I think so!" Ali answered. When she, Littlefoot and Spike had caught up with Ali Cera inquired worriedly: "Is it still far to the resting place of your herd Ali?" "No, not far anymore. Where are Ducky and Petrie? We must get on!" Cera, Littlefoot and Spike looked back alarmed. Petrie still flapped around the sharptooth that still moved into their direction. H didn't attack the sharptooth anymore. It sufficed satisfied was enough that the sharptooth was busy with hunting him, whereby Petrie did everything to shun the nostrils of the sharptooth. "And where is Ducky?" asked Littlefoot nearly a bit irritated, because he had heard this question recently this very day. "I told her to take cover anywhere", said Cera while she looked searching seeking around in every direction. Spike uttered some of his noises and pointed at the top of a palm with his head. The palm was not far from the point where Littlefoot, Cera and Spike had turned back to save Ali. In the meantime the sharptooth had reached this point during its skirmish with Petrie. There in the palm's top Ducky had cowered up, watched the chase of the sharptooth and nearly didn't dare to breathe, not to call the sharptooth attention on her. "Oh no!" Littlefoot groaned resigned. Today the problems didn't seem to come to an end. "Ducky, Petrie come here! We must go on!" cried Ali without thinking about that at least Ducky had hardly a chance to come here without being snatched by the sharptooth. Petrie was distract by Ali's call for a very short instant and forgot to evade the sharptooth. This seized the chance and snapped up. Petrie shrieked struck with panicky horror. He was not really injured, but one of his legs was jammed between the sharptooth's teeth like in a vise. Ducky upon the palm pressed both hands on her eyes not to be forced to see the ghastly view and nearly lost her balance and fell down by this. Spike let himself drop on the ground and covered his head with his forefeet. Littlefoot, Cera and Ali starred horrified at Petrie. They were unable to help him, and they knew that. Petrie flapped as fiercely as he could, but he had to recognize, that it was of no use. He stopped flapping, closed his eyes as fierce as possible and covered them with his wings. "Petrie!" Littlefoot, Cera, Ali and Ducky, who looked over to Petrie now, forced to use her arms to cling to the palm, cried like out of one mouth desperately. Spike looked up too and wailed pitiably. The sharptooth had its victim sure now. With one of its scrawny arms armed with two terrible claws it snatched at Petrie to finish him finally. The sharptooth never finished the movement. Somebody rushed out of the dense undergrowth and a mighty, tail-lash whipped through the air. The lash hit the head of the sharptooth at full tilt, tearing it from its feet. It roared tormented whereby Petrie was hurled somewhere far away into the dense thicket brushwood by the force of the lash. Spike looked after him solicitously giving a piteously wail. "Mum!" cried Ali while her mother lifted up her tail for another lash. Unable to tear their gaze away from the sight Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Ali and, from the top of the palm, Ducky observed the fight. Ali's mother lashed another time, but the sharptooth, who had recovered amazingly fast from the first lash evaded the lash light footed, so the tail-lash whipped through the air inefficiently. The sharptooth snapped, but its bite missed too, when Ali's mother evaded with a nimble step. The opponents began to circle each other and either of them kept their eyes on the other. Both awaited the other ones attack to parry it and to attack themselves at the right moment. Ali's mother yelled several times a loud shout of which Littlefoot supposed that it was any signal to the herd. An eternity seemed to pass off in which nothing happened but exposing teeth by the sharptooth and intimated tail lashes by Ali's mother. Neither the sharptooth nor Ali's mother gave the other one an opportunity for an attack; both of them didn't let their enemy out of sight. Littlefoot and Cera felt queer. The sight seemed to be known to them. Suddenly a rustling and cracking was audible from the undergrowth. Ali's mother cast a look back; the rustling noises could mean the rescue. It was only an instant of diversion, but the sharptooth seized the opportunity immediately. With a wide leap the sharptooth pounced upon Ali's mother who looked back immediately, but hadn't enough time left to lift her tail for a repulsing lash or to evade. "Mum!" cried Ali and Littlefoot and Cera cried too. They knew this sight. It had looked just like this when the sharptooth then had pounced upon Littlefoot's mother, bitten to her back and killed her. But this time it didn't happen. A tail-lash whipped through the air and hit the sharptooth, at the highest point of its leap with such a force that it was thrown meters through the air. With a loud crash the sharptooth bounded against the palm on which Ducky had taken cover, with its back. By its bounce such a fierce shock ran through the ground that Littlefoot, Cera, Spike and Ali who kept a safe distance to the sharptooth felt it very distinctly and fell back some more steps. Ducky shrieked when the palm sagged under the impact and broke with a crack whereby she was hurled far away into the dense undergrowth. Spike hummed terrified and wanted to run over to look after Ducky, but Cera pulled him back on his tail. "Stop Spiky! The sharptooth!" Spike cast a desperate look on Cera. She was right; he had, as hard as he found it, to wait till the danger was over. "The old one!" Ali mumbled respectfully. Littlefoot stared over to the border of the undergrowth from which the old one had broken out. Ali's mother cast a transient look on the old one, thankful for the rescue. But the old one's look was firmly fixed upon the slowly getting up sharptooth. The old one stepped forth lifting her tail for another lash. The quick movements of the old one and the strong lash she had inflict upon the sharptooth disagreed with her age and her nearly clumsy appearance. Her eyes nearly seemed to spark. Littlefoot, Ali, Spike and Cera watched the happenings anxiously. The sharptooth had gotten up, roared furiously and tried to fix its eyes upon both of its opponents. But Ali's mother and the old one took positions on two opposite directions with the sharptooth between them so it was unable to keep its eyes on both of them. As soon as it concentrated on one of the enemies the other attacked so it was difficult for the sharptooth to evade the strong tail-lashes. The situation had deteriorated distinctly for the sharptooth. With a loud cracking another longneck of the herd broke out of the thicket. The moment after another two longnecks appeared and some instants later the half herd seemed to be present. All together they advanced laterally walking against the sharptooth the tails lifted for lashing. Littlefoot starred at the seemingly invincible line of longnecks that let the sharptooth look small and forlorn fascinated. The sharptooth starred at the longnecks too, but its look was not fascinated, but exceedingly anxiously. Its gestures of threatening seemed somehow laughable and his roaring answered by dozens of longnecks with a really deafening booming sounded hoarse and far from being as loud and threatening as it had been before. Theer thetooth fell back before the many longnecks step by step going backwards without paying attention to Ali's mother and the old one. Their tail-lashes hit it at the same moment with such a force that it could hardly hold on its feet and it saw that there was nothing left to win for it. Howling up it jerked round and ran away towards the river as fast as it could. This was really not its day. The longnecks pursued the sharptooth a few steps but then the old one stopped and with her the rest of the herd. Littlefoot cast a look of boundless relief on Ali and had to recognize for his dismay that she looked hardly relieved, but far more intimidated. Littlefoot didn't saw the reason for her anxiousness and he didn't found an opportunity to ask Ali about that, because she set in motion lingeringly towards her mother and the old one. Littlefoot followed her and Cera did it too after a short hesitating. Spike remained slightly confused. Had his friends forgotten Petrie and Ducky? Only when they had nearly reached the longnecks he followed them hasty. 


	31. The herd

Chapter XXX  
The herd  
  
"Mum!" Ali said lowly when she arrived at her and speaking seemed to be very difficult for her suddenly. Her mother looked at her relieved, but above all her look was severe and similar to Ali's own look worriedly. "Is everything alright with you Ali?" Ali nodded silently while her mother eyed her examining as if she wanted to check if Ali was really uninjured. Littlefoot felt somehow as if he was out of place. Every longneck seemed to be so earnest and reserved. When Ali's mother saw him, Cera and farther back Spike, something like a smile seemed to scamper over her face for a moment. It was such a short instant that Littlefoot was nearly sure to have deluded, but there was no doubt that Ali's mother had recognized them. "We are rid of that sharptooth for a while." The old one growled and turned to Ali and Littlefoot then. Cera had remained a short distance to the rear; patently the many big longnecks made her fell discomforted and Spike still hadn't arrived. Ali seemed to shrink under the old one's look and seemingly against her will she fall back a few steps and lowered her head. The usually nearly meek eyes of the old one seemed to blaze and she pressed her lips so firmly together in fury, that her mouth was only discernable as a very thin line. She seemed to recognize Littlefoot, Cera and Spike too. The old one's look had an intimidating effect on Littlefoot too, but by no means as intensive as on Ali who seemed to have at least as much fear of the grownup's anger as she had of the sharptooth. This made Littlefoot angry himself and he forced himself defiantly not to fall back from the old one like Ali. He hadn't liked the old one very much since he had seen her the first time. Because of her coldness, but also because of the worship Ali and the other members of the herd carried on around her. But before the old one or anyone else was able to say anything Cera suddenly felt a strong push. She turned round. Spike stood behind her. He passed her to call also Littlefoot's attention on him. After that he ran over to the edge brink border of the undergrowth uttering some pitiable noises. The grownups had observed the spikedtail bewildered, but Littlefoot, Cera and Ali jerked. "Ducky! Petrie!" shouted Littlefoot and ran closely followed by Cera and Ali over to Spike. The grownups changed amazed and partly annoyed looks. "I believe that Ali must answer us some questions!" mumbled one of the longnecks irritated. "She will!" Ali's mother replied pacifying, but with a worry in her voice that could not be overheard. Spike looked at his friends desperately, but suddenly he listened up. A low cracking was audible from the thicket and then Ducky appeared out of it. She held Petrie in her arms. Relieved Spike drove his tongue through Ducky's face several times. Ducky laughed. "Spiky! Stop it; I'm well! Really!" Littlefoot and even Ali had to laugh, but Cera damped their joy: "What's the matter with Petrie?" All cheerfulness vanished as fast as it has come. Petrie was unconscious. "I've found him so." muttered Ducky. They all bowed over him anxiously and also Ali's mother, the old one and some of the other longnecks who had approached in the meantime lowered their heads down to the kids. There Petrie opened his eyes. "Petrie! How are you? Is everything alright?" "Sharptooth me not eaten up?" "No Petrie of course not! No, no, no!" answered Ducky. "Then Petrie is alright!" he answered and set up. Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Spike and even Ali laughed relieved and vent, for the evident reluctance of some of the grownup longnecks, their joyfulness about their escape from the sharptooth for the first time. 


	32. Bannishment

Chapter XXXI  
Banishment  
  
But Ali's joyfulness shouldn't last continue for long. "We are going back to the resting place!" ordered the old one. "There we'll handle the thing with Ali!" Her voice didn't sound furiously as Littlefoot had expected because of her look before, but tranquil. Nevertheless not only Ali but for Littlefoot's surprise also her mother became perceptible nervous by the old one's words. The old one turned round and stepped away. The other grownups took the children between and followed her to the resting place of the herd. Even though Littlefoot could understand that Ali feared the grownup's anger, he thought that it was a bit exaggerated when he noticed how pale Ali had become. Eventually she hadn't done anything wicked, that would have vindicated such an anxiousness, had she? "What's the matter Ali?" he asked. Ali looked at him confused. "You look as if we would be on the way to the sharptooth." Without the slightest touch of irony in her voice or on her face answered Ali: "If it would be only that!" Littlefoot looked at her amazedly and forgot to move along. First when Ali had went on already some steps Littlefoot ran after her hasty and asked "My goodness Ali, what are you so afraid of?" " I've transgressed against the rules. I've withdrawn from the herd although the old one had forbidden it." Said Ali as if this would be the worst sacrilege that could be done. "So what?" asked Littlefoot and continued hasty when he saw Ali's shocked mien: "You've done it to help us and if I guess that right, you haven't said anything to the grownups because Cera wouldn't have wanted that." "Exactly!" Cera who had caught up and heard the last exchange of words agreed. "You haven't done anything evil. Sure, the grownups will be angry, but they won't kill you." Cera laughed, but ceased immediately when she saw Ali's unnerved mien. "Not killing." Ali said and speaking seemed to be very difficult for her, "But maybe banishing." "Banishing?" Littlefoot asked flustered. "Shutting out from the herd." explained Ali. "You don't really mean that Ali?" asked Cera yet harassed after all. "But why Ali?" asked Littlefoot who had read from Ali's face that she really meant what she said. "You are no herdsaurus." Ali answered and it sounded nearly a bit condescendingly when she continued: "You are allowed to commit and omit as you like, but that is differently with us." Cera already wanted to give an irritated answer, but Littlefoot forestalled her: "But Ali, that's baloney, how could they banish you? You're a kid." Now it was Ali who answered indignantly: "I'm not a baby anymore! And I've contravened against the old one's order and endangered the safety of the herd by that!" After this words Ali fell into a sort of melancholic tranquility and continued nearly whispering: "And that is nearly always punishable by banishment!" But that's impossible!" meant Cera. "They would have to banish your mother too!" "Why?" asked Ali. "She is another member of the herd." More silently she continued: "If they banish me, then mum will certainly leave the herd self imposed and we'll have to stay at one place forever. And it is my fault!" Littlefoot understood Ali's anxiousness now. But still he could hardly believe that somebody at Ali's age really could be banished from the herd. But he had to admit that Ali had to know that better, eventually she had always lived in a migrating herd and he did never. Moreover he couldn't understand why Ali was so horrified of the thought to life at one place forever, but he bewared of saying this to Ali, because it seemed to be impossible to understand that as a sedentary, not migrating dinosaur. "You won't be banished Ali. Oh no, no, no. Certainly not. All this was not your fault and we'll say that to the grownups. Oh yes, we will. Yep, yep, yep!" chattered Ducky who had caught up too and heard the last argues. Spike who carried Petrie on his back, because his leg still hurt, had caught up likewise uttered some agreeing noises and he and Petrie nodded fiercely to Ducky's words. But Ali only gave them a just as thankful as hopeless smile and said sadly: "Whatever you may say, it won't be of use." "Why not?" asked Ducky who hopped, apparently very much for telling the grownups everything and asseverating Ali's innocence, in front of Ali. Ali looked embarrassedly first at Cera, then at Ducky and finally at Spike and Petrie and then she said downcast: "Well, you know, it is a longneck herd and you are no...", Ali sighed instead of finishing the sentence. Ducky, Spike and Petrie looked dismayed and a bit offended. Littlefoot seemed affected too and Cera frowned and made ready for an angry answer. But she didn't find the time for it, since they just arrived at the resting place and one of the longnecks bend it's head down to them and said: "Now Ali you'll have to answer some questions to us!" If there had been still any doubts about the seriousness of Ali's situation for Littlefoot and the others then they were evacuated by the longnecks intonation. 


End file.
